Observing the Past and Future
by Vespersong
Summary: Before the final exam, the village are transported to a strange place to watch their past and future. How does this end a centuries long war? Tune in and see... a "watching the movie" fic
1. One Big Day, Two Strange Girls

Chapter 1 – One Big Day, Two Strange Girls

The sun rose over the island of Berk on a day that everyone felt would define them for years to come. Not only was it the day of the Dragon Training Graduation, but the chief's son – formerly the worst Viking Berk ever saw – was going to be the one to kill the dragon. The whole village was in a tizzy preparing for the big moment at high noon but inside the Chief's house, Hiccup was in his room, deep in thought.

 _I can't let this war go on any longer especially when I know why it happens. But what can I do?_ Hiccup thought. It felt like he was trapped in the cove like Toothless with no way to get out. Hiccup groaned, burying his face in his hands when suddenly – POOF!

He vanished.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Meanwhile…

Astrid was sitting in her room thinking about last night. She had been determined to discover what had made Hiccup trump her in Dragon Training. Now, she had not only discovered that dragons had more to them then she thought, but she also found out the cause of the raids and seen a side to Hiccup that no one had seen before.

Her mind was twisted around the graduation, seeing the real Hiccup and what would happen in the ring that day when suddenly – POOF!

She was gone.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Meanwhile Meanwhile…

Noon was fast approaching and the villagers had gathered around as Gobber went to fetch Hiccup when once more – POOF!

Everyone on Berk and in the Nest(minus the Red Death) vanished leaving them empty.

Where had they gone?

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Everyone on Berk opened their eyes to find themselves in a strange room that had seats on levels with stairs leading up to them. Strange torches encased in a cloudy glass lined the walls with the one in front of them a cloth made of pale fabric. Everyone was confused until…

"HOLY SHIT, IT WORKED!" Everyone jumped and looked around for where the sound came from. "Up here." The voice replied. Everyone turned around. Two girls stood at the top of the room, one blonde, the other brunette. The blonde wore short pants in black and a light blue top with the words 'Ice Princess' on it. The brunette wore similar pants and a red top with a black dragon.

"Who are you two and what are we doing here?" Stoick demanded.

"Is that any way to talk to a lady, number one. Number two, I'm Vesper and this is Shilo. Number three, we are here to show you all the end of the war between dragons and you guys!" she shrieked. Everyone stared at her, not believing what she said.

"Look I'm not lying. I wouldn't lie about something like this." Vesper said. They still looked at her liked she had declared herself the reincarnation of Odin. She smacked her forehead into her hand before saying, "I'll prove what I'm saying is true. Just take a seat."

Reluctantly, everyone filed into the seats – Most of the village on the bottom, Stoick, Gobber, and the teens (minus Astrid) in the middle. Hiccup looked around but saw the blonde – Shilo – gesturing toward herself. Nervously, he approached her.

"You sit here, Hiccup." She said, pointing to a pair of green chairs at the top row. "You too, Astrid." Astrid – not wanting to anger anyone – joined Hiccup in the other chair. Shilo and Vesper looked over the crowd, descended the stairs and walked in front of the cloth.

"Alright here's what's gonna happen," Vesper began, "You are going to watch the last month or so in your lives and the coming future in order to see how the war will end."

"How is that even possible?" Snotlout asked. Vesper looked at him like him was a toddler before continuing.

"You will be watching a movie, which is a story with moving pictures. Shilo and I will be watching you all and making sure that nothing happens."

"What would happen?" Stoick asked. Vesper turned to Shilo and they smiled.

"Well we invited the dragons to join you here. Anyone tries to hurt them will be hurt themselves." Shilo said with a wave of her hand, revealing dragons of all kinds behind Astrid and Hiccup. Screams rang out and everyone reached for their weapons that weren't there. Shilo resumed her speech, "Like I said, no one hurts these animals or else. That's about it. Any questions?"

Snotlout stood up and yelled "What happens if we make you two mad?" Vesper smiled and walked over to the wall, grabbing a rope. She then released it, causing a sandbag to plummet toward him. It smacked the floor, releasing the sand inside.

"That." Shilo said, smirking. She then turned toward the rest, "Anything else?" Everyone shock their heads. Vesper joined her sister back on the ground.

"Well, in that case…" Vesper trailed off, looking at her sister. They both raised their hands and shouted,

"ENJOY THE SHOW!"


	2. The Raid, The Shot

Hey everyone! So sorry that I didn't add a foreword in Chapter 1 but as you can tell, I'm a first time user. So, quick notes on my story – the OCs will stay out of the action, I'll try to write these characters well and finally, if there's something I could do better, please let me know.

Alright, ON WITH THE SHOW!

 **Bold** – Movie

 _Italics_ – thoughts

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

The two girls vanished. Everyone glanced around, trying to see where they went. They didn't get the chance as the room darkened and the screen lit up.

 **We skim above a dark, wild ocean. The camera turns toward a** **lone island, Berk. It is a gigantic shard of rock jutting** **straight out of the water.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **This, is Berk.**

Everyone jumped in their seat, looking back toward Hiccup whose mouth was wide open. How had Hiccup's voice come out of there when he didn't speak?

"What kind of sorcery is this?" Stoick yelled. From out of nowhere, Shilo replied,

"We told you – moving pictures. Now sit down PLEASE!" Stoick stared at the ceiling before sitting back down.

 **It's twelve days** **North of hopeless, and a few** **degrees South of freezing to death.** **It's located solidly on the** **meridian of misery.**

Most everyone stared curiously at the screen, thinking about those words. Sure, Berk wasn't the best place in the world, but it wasn't **that** bad.

 **The camera drifts over rolling hills to reveal a small** **village nestled on an outcropping of sea mounts.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **My village. In a word, sturdy.**

 **And it's been here for seven** **generations, but every single** **building is new.**

"Doesn't take long to figure out why," Spitelout mumbled.

 **The camera drifts closer, circling.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **We have fishing, hunting, and a** **charming view of the sunsets. The** **only problems are the pests.** **Sheep graze peacefully on a hillside. Suddenly one is** **snatched.**

This got a laugh. It sounded like Hiccup was selling Berk and the dragons were no big problem.

 **You** **see, most places have mice or** **mosquitoes. We have...**

 **CUT TO:**

 **INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

 **A door is pulled open... as a DRAGON swoops directly toward** **it, BLASTING FIRE. The door is SLAMMED. The fire shoots** **through the slats of wood, illuminating HICCUP, a gangly** **teenage Viking.**

 **HICCUP**

 **...dragons.**

Hiccup smiled at his words, even more so when a black head nudged his arm. Toothless plopped right next to Hiccup as they both focused on the movie.

 **EXT. STOICK'S HOUSE**

 **He reopens the sizzling door, as leaps off of the front** **porch. He weaves through the erupting mayhem as Vikings pour** **out of the buildings, ready for a fight.** **More dragons swarm in, setting rooftops alight and hauling** **off sheep.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Most people would leave. Not us.** **We're Vikings.**

"We're strong!" yelled Snotlout.

"We're ruthless!" yelled Tuffnut.

"We're better than them!" yelled Stoick.

 **We have stubbornness** **issues.**

Hiccup stifled his giggles while Astrid burst out laughing. It didn't work since the whole place fell silent.

 **Vikings sound the alarm. Viking men and women pour out into** **the streets, axes in hand.** **ON HICCUP darting through alleys, staying under eaves, making** **his way through the battle.**

"How do you avoid getting hurt in this?" Astrid asked.

"Truthfully, I'm not quite sure," Hiccup whispered back. "Luck I guess?"

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **My name's Hiccup. Great name, I** **know. But it's not the worst.** **Parents believe a hideous name will** **frighten off gnomes and trolls.**

Stoick frowned. What was wrong with Hiccup? Any child with that name was….. treated as the runt of the litter.

 **Like our charming Viking demeanor** **wouldn't do that.**

"HEY!" every adult in the room yelled.

 **Dragons sweep back and forth, dodging axes and blasting the** **Vikings who throw them. A burly warrior gets tossed in an** **explosion, knocking Hiccup to the ground.**

 **VIKING**

 **(FIERCE)**

 **Arggghhhhh!**

 **(cheery, insane)**

 **Mornin'!**

Laughs all around as that viking tried to hide.

 **Hiccup gets to his feet and continues to rush past gigantic** **men and women.**

 **HOARK**

 **What are you doing out!?**

"Going to Gobber's."

 **BURNTHAIR**

 **Get inside!**

 **PHLEGMA THE FIERCE**

 **Get back inside!**

"My house is on FIRE. Why would I go back?"

 **He passes a silent ox of a viking, picking his ear.**

More laughs.

 **Enter STOICK, the biggest Viking of all. He yanks Hiccup from** **the path of a strafing dragon and holds aloft to the crowd.**

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup!?**

 **(accusingly; to the crowd)**

 **What is he doing out again?!**

 **(TO HICCUP)**

 **What are you doing out?! Get** **inside!**

 _That was harsh_ Astrid thought. Sure this was before he started dragon training, but he was still the chief's son. Didn't that mean respect?

 **The flames light up his scowling face and matted red beard.** **He sets Hiccup down and turns to the sky, searching.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **(IN AWE)**

 **That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of** **the tribe. They say that when he** **was a baby he popped a dragon's** **head clean off of its shoulders.**

All the dragons plus Astrid and Hiccup gagged, which didn't go unnoticed by the other teens.

 **Do I believe it?** **Stoick grabs a wooden cart and hurls it, knocking the** **strafing dragon out of the sky.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Yes I do.**

 **STOICK**

 **(barking; to his men)**

 **What have we got?**

"Dragons, duh." Tuffnut said. Ruffnut face-palmed before noticing her brother's helmet was gone.

"INCOMING!" Tuffnut didn't move as a sandbag smacked him on the head followed by his helmet.

 **VIKING #1**

 **Gronkles. Nadders. Zipplebacks. Oh,** **and Hoark saw a Monstrous** **Nightmare.**

Each dragon perked up as their name was said, even moving closer to the two teens

 **An EXPLOSION forces Vikings to DUCK. Stoick stands firm.**

 **STOICK**

 **Any Night Furies?**

 **VIKING #1**

 **None so far.**

 **STOICK**

 **Brushing a flame off his shoulder**

 **(RELIEVED)**

 **Good.**

Stoick was relieved but then a thought hit him – _Where was the Night Fury?_

 **VIKING**

 **Hoist the torches!**

 **Massive flaming braziers are raised on poles, lighting up the** **night sky... and revealing swirling dragons of all types.** **Below, Hiccup crosses an open plaza and ducks into an open** **building.**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **He crosses behind a counter, where a peg-legged, one-armed** **hulk of a Blacksmith reshapes blade with a hammer and tongs** **appendage.**

"It's ME!" Gobber shrieked.

 **GOBBER**

 **Ah! Nice of you to join the party.** **I thought you'd been carried off.** **Hiccup dons a leather apron and starts to put away Gobber's** **scattered appendages.**

"Clean up more, please?" Hiccup asked.

"Who's the apprentice here?" Gobber replied. Hiccup shut his mouth

 **HICCUP**

 **Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too** **muscular for their taste. They** **wouldn't know what to do with all** **this.**

 **Hiccup strikes a bodybuilder pose.**

All the teens laughed at his misfortune while Hiccup buried his face in his hands.

 **GOBBER**

 **They need toothpicks, don't they?**

 **Hiccup gets to work, transferring bent and chipped weapons to** **the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **The meathead with attitude and** **interchangeable hands is Gobber.**

"Meathead!" Gobber yelled. "Better that then a toothpick." Hiccup just smiled while Toothless growled and Astrid smirked

 **I've been his apprentice ever since** **I was little. Well...littler.**

 **EXT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS**

 **ON STOICK**

 **STOICK**

 **We move to the lower defenses.** **We'll counter-attack with the** **catapults.**

 **Armed men rush past, flanking others who carry sheep to** **safety. Stoick follows up the rear as, overhead, a dragon** **strafes the rooftops with Napalm-like fire.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **See? Old village. Lots and lots** **of new houses.**

Stoick was sort of shocked by Hiccup's narration. He never spoke anything like this normally.

 **VIKING**

 **FIRE!**

 **Hiccup leans out the window…..**

 **In response, the fire brigade charges through the plaza -** **four TEENS, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it,** **they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among** **them is a cute, energetic Viking girl.** **Hiccup leans out of the stall to watch her.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Oh and that's Fishlegs,**

Fishlegs smiled

 **Snotlout.**

Snotlout kissed his muscles.

 **The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut.**

They bonked heads.

 **And...**

 **(DREAMY)**

 **Astrid.**

Astrid tried to hide her smile.

 **A SLOW-MOTION explosion erupts behind her, framing her in a** **sexy ball of fire. Close on HICCUP who has a wide-eyed dreamy look on his face.**

"Ha!" Snotlout laughed. "As if she would ever notice you." This got a smile from Hiccup who replied,

"Then why isn't she sitting with you?" That shut him up.

 **The others join her, looking awesome and** **heroic.**

The teens looked anywhere from mildly pleased and overly pleased.

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Their job is so much cooler.**

 **Hiccup tries to join them as they pass, but he's hooked by** **Gobber and hoisted back inside.**

"Why do people keep lifting me by my shirt? Is there a sign on me or something?!"

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PLEADING)**

 **Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I** **need to make my mark.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, you've made plenty of marks.** **All in the wrong places.**

"In fairness, most of those were accidents."

 **HICCUP**

 **Please, two minutes. I'll kill a** **dragon. My life will get infinitely** **better. I might even get a date.**

Snotlout was about to say something when, "Say something and a sandbag full of iron will acquaint itself with your HEAD!" He sat back down.

 **GOBBER**

 **You can't lift a hammer.**

"How could I smith if I couldn't use one?

 **You can't swing an axe...**

"Fair enough."

 **Gobber grabs a bola (iron balls connected by rope).**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **... you can't even throw one of these.**

"Why would I want to throw balls?" This got laughs and two different thoughts – Stoick wondering how Hiccup had done so well in Dragon Training if he couldn't use most weapons and the dragons stared at the boy who had a Night Fury sitting by his side.

 **A Viking runs by and nabs it out of Gobber's hand, hurling it** **at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending**

 **it into a heavy crash.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(ready with the answer)**

 **Okay fine, but...**

 **He rushes to the back corner of the stall and presents a** **bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... this will throw it for me.**

"Where did that come from?" Fishlegs asked, intrigued.

"Hiccup made it. He makes all kinds of stuff like that," Gobber said off-handed. Everyone was silent at this, not caring.

 **Hiccup OPENS the hinged lid of the device. An arm springs up,** **equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launch a bola,** **narrowly missing Gobber... and taking out a Viking at the** **counter.**

 **VIKING**

 **Arggh!**

"That hurt!" That Viking yelled.

"Sorry!" Hiccup yelled back.

 **GOBBER**

 **See, now this right here is what** **I'm talking about.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Mild calibration issue.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Hiccup. If you ever want to get out** **there to fight dragons, you need** **to stop all...**

 **Gobber gestures in Hiccup's general direction.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **... this.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(ASTONISHED)**

 **But... you just pointed to all of** **me.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Yes! That's it! Stop being all of** **you.**

Toothless growled. What was wrong with Hiccup the way he was? He would be grounded and dead without him!

 **HICCUP**

 **(THREATENING)**

 **Ohhhh...**

 **GOBBER**

 **(MIMICKING)**

 **Ohhhhh, yes.**

 **HICCUP**

 **You, sir, are playing a dangerous** **game. Keeping this much,** **raw...Vikingness contained.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **There will be consequences!**

"Oh, there was…" Everyone looked up, hearing Vesper's voice. Then, they had to cover their ears as she shrieked, "DON'T ASK! I'LL EXPLAIN LATER!"

 **Gobber tosses him a sword.**

 **GOBBER**

 **I'll take my chances. Sword.** **Sharpen. Now.**

The teens stared as Hiccup held a great sword almost as long as he was tall.

 **Hiccup takes it begrudgingly and lobs it onto the grinding** **wheel. He stews... fantasizing...**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **One day I'll get out there. Because** **killing a dragon is everything** **around here.**

The dragons perked up. Maybe now they would learn about why it was a big deal for them to die.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - LOWER PLAINS - CONTINUOUS**

 **Nadders land, gathering like seagulls around a seemingly** **vacant house.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **A Nadder head is sure to get me at** **least noticed.**

The Nadders huffed. Surely their heads were worth more than just "being noticed."

 **The Nadders clamber onto the building, tearing the roof and** **walls apart. Sheep pour out and SCATTER.** **Elsewhere, hippo-like Gronckles pick drying racks clean of** **fish and fly off like loaded pelicans.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Gronckles are tough. Taking down** **one of those would definitely get** **me a girlfriend.**

Gronkles smiled. Not only were they better than Nadders but if girlfriends were mates, they must be important!

 **A stealthy, snake-like dragon head peeks over a rooftop,** **breathing gas into a chimney.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **A Zippelback? Exotic, exciting. Two** **heads, twice the status.**

Zippelbacks cheered at this.

 **A second head pokes through the door and lights it. KABLAM!** **The two heads fly through the explosion, their necks zipping** **together to reveal a single body.** **It flies past Stoick as he climbs to the top of a CATAPULT**

 **TOWER.**

 **CATAPULT OPERATOR**

 **They found the sheep!**

 **STOICK**

 **(FRUSTRATED)**

 **Concentrate fire over the lower** **bank!**

 **CATAPULT OPERATOR**

 **Fire!**

 **Boulders are catapulted at the corralling Nadders...**

 **Just as a huge red dragon whips past, spraying the base of** **the catapult with sticky fire.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **And then there's the Monstrous** **Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go** **after those.**

The Nightmares shrieked. Surely they were the best!

 **They have this nasty** **habit of setting themselves on fire.** **It emerges from the flames, climbing the catapult with a** **leering, toothy grin.**

 **STOICK**

 **Reload! I'll take care of this.**

 **Stoick takes on the Nightmare, face to hammer.**

The Nightmare winced, remembering that and noticing that the boy did as well.

 **Suddenly, a LOUD BALLISTIC MOANING streaks overhead. The** **catapult crew ducks.**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **ON HICCUP, looking up from his work, reacting to the same** **sound.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **But the ultimate prize is the** **dragon no one has ever seen. We** **call it the-**

Toothless – in a moment of vanity – stood up straighter, knowing what they would say.

 **VIKING**

 **Night Fury! Get down!**

 **Vikings everywhere take shelter. The moaning sound BUILDS.**

 **EXT. VILLAGE - CATAPULT - CONTINUOUS**

 **The Monstrous Nightmare suddenly stops fighting and takes** **flight. Stoick looks skyward.**

 **STOICK**

 **JUMP!**

 **KABOOM! The Catapult EXPLODES as though hit by an artillery** **shell... sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **This thing never steals food, never** **shows itself, and...**

 **The sound repeats, destroying the catapult completely.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **...never misses.**

Hiccup gave Toothless a look, knowing what happened the last time. Then, something hit him – if this was his past then they would see…..

 **(BEAT)**

 **No one has ever killed a Night** **Fury. That's why I'm going to be** **the first.**

"The day that happens, I'll shave my beard." Stoick proclaimed. Toothless laughed, thinking the big red man would look funny without it.

 **IN THE STALL**

 **Gobber trades his hammer for an axe.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me** **out there!**

 **Gobber pauses. Turns with a threatening glare.**

"Oh no." Stoick said softly.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Stay. Put. There. You know what I**

 **mean.**

Shilo (from the projection room) threw a dog biscuit at Gobber, yelling "Ya gonna give him a treat?"

 **Gobber charges into the fray, HOLLERING.**

 **ON HICCUP, a smirk crosses his face.**

 **EXT. VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER**

 **WHAM! Hiccup pushes his wheeled contraption through a wall of** **clustered Vikings. He weaves through the ongoing mayhem, as** **fast as his legs can carry him.**

"Gobber!"

 **VIKING #6 (O.S.)**

 **Hiccup, where are you going!**

 **VIKING #7**

 **Come back here!**

 **HICCUP**

 **I know. Be right back!**

 **ON THE PLAIN BELOW**

 **The Nadders have cornered the house-full of sheep. They close** **in, ready to spring upon them.** **Stoick suddenly appears, HURLING FISHING NETS over them. The** **surprised Nadders are caught. Stoick and his men rush in.** **A Nadder blasts a hole through its net. Stoick leaps onto it,** **clamping his thick arms around its head, forcing its jaws** **shut.**

 **STOICK**

 **Mind yourselves! The devils still** **have some juice in them.**

"Not. Devils." Hiccup growled through clenched teeth.

 **ON THE PLAIN ABOVE**

 **Hiccup reaches a cliff overlooking the smoking CATAPULT and** **drops the handles to the ground. He cranks several levers,** **unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption and then pivots the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky.**

Everyone – even the adults – was impressed at the craftsmanship. They just didn't see a use for it.

 **HICCUP**

 **(TO HIMSELF)**

 **Come on. Give me something to shoot** **at, give me something to shoot at.**

 **He listens, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on** **the trigger. He hears the NIGHT FURY approaching... and turns** **his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final** **strike, completely camouflaged in the night.** **KABLAM! The tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the** **dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulls the trigger.** **KERTHUNK! The flexed arms SNAP forward, springing the weapon** **off the ground. The bola disappears into the sky, followed by** **a WHACK and a SCREECH.**

Silence. Dead silence. Then…..

Cheers rang out. Who needed the Nightmare when Hiccup was bound to kill a NIGHT FURY!

Hiccup, meanwhile, felt horrible. His actions meant that Toothless would never fly alone again. However, Toothless wouldn't let him mope and placed his head onto Hiccup's lap. Hiccup smiled and gave him a scratch.

This gave the other dragons the sign and they moved forward, curling around the chairs. Astrid was surprised to see a blue Deadly Nadder sit next to her and Terrible Terrors curl up by their feet.

No one else noticed this though…..

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(surprised, then elated)**

 **Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did** **anybody see that?**

 **Hiccup's victory is short-lived. A Monstrous Nightmare** **appears, slithering up over the lip of the cliff.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Except for you.**

Laughing again, both at the sarcasm and at Hiccup's misfortune.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Wow, 2 in a day. I hope everyone whose reading this likes it. If so, drop me a review. I'm always looking for feedback. It's my drug of choice.

UPDATE: Yay, better editing! Glad I revised this.

Ta. Lovelies!


	3. The Family, The Request

Wow 3 in a day. Yay! Warning – Snotlout abuse here.

Enjoy!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 **ON STOICK, holding down the netted Nadders. He hears a** **familiar HOLLER and looks up to see...** **HICCUP running through the PLAZA, SCREAMING, with the** **NIGHTMARE fast on his heels.**

Hiccup groaned as everyone else broke out laughing, even the dragons! Astrid and Toothless were quick to stop thankfully.

 **Alarmed, Stoick abandons the Nadders and runs off.**

 **STOICK**

 **(to his men, re: the** **NADDERS)**

 **DO NOT let them escape!**

 **IN THE PLAZA**

 **Vikings scatter as Hiccup dodges a near fatal blast. The** **Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire splashes up onto** **buildings, setting them alight.** **Hiccup ducks behind the last standing brazier - the only** **shelter available. The Nightmare blasts it, spraying fire all** **around him.**

"You know," Astrid began, turning to Hiccup. "Fire seems to follow you wherever you go." She then gestured to Toothless. "Coincidence?"

Hiccup turned away from her, a thoughtful look on his face.

 **Hiccup peers around the smoldering post. No sign** **of the Nightmare.** **He turns back to find it leering at him, blocking his escape.** **It takes a deep breath. Hiccup is finished.** **Suddenly, Stoick LEAPS between them, tackling the Nightmare** **to the ground. They tumble and wrestle, resuming their** **earlier fight. The Nightmare tries to toast him, but only** **coughs up smoke.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You're all out.**

 **He smashes the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it** **away. It takes to the air and disappears. Winded, Stoick** **turns to Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Oh, and there's one more thing you** **need to know...**

"What?" asked Tuff.

 **The burnt brazier pole collapses, sending the massive iron** **basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying as it** **goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down the** **netted Nadders. The freed dragons escape... with several** **sheep in tow.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Sorry, dad.**

At this, all the dragons stared. The big, red man had sired the twig-like boy whom the Night Fury was curled up to?! It seemed impossible.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - UPPER PLAZA - CONTINUOUS**

 **The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches.** **The raid is over. The dragons have clearly won.** **The murmuring crowd eyes Stoick, awaiting his response.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(SHEEPISH)**

 **Okay, but I hit a Night Fury.**

 **Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and** **hauls him away, fuming with embarrassment.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **It's not like the last few times,** **Dad. I mean I really actually hit** **it. You guys were busy and I had a** **very clear shot. It went down, just** **off Raven Point. Let's get a search** **party out there, before it—**

"Hiccup, I'm sorry I didn't believe you." Stoick said.

"It's okay. I …..took care of it." Hiccup said trailing off.

 **STOICK**

 **-STOP! Just...stop.**

 **He releases Hiccup. Everyone goes silent, staring** **expectantly.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Every time you step outside,** **disaster follows. Can you not see** **that I have bigger problems?** **Winter's almost here and I have an** **entire village to feed!** **Hiccup looks around. All eyes are upon him.**

 _Oh Odin, this won't end well._ Hiccup thought.

 **HICCUP**

 **Between you and me, the village** **could do with a little less** **feeding, don't ya think?**

 **A few rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.**

 **STOICK**

 **This isn't a joke, Hiccup!**

 **(EXASPERATED)**

 **Why can't you follow the simplest** **orders?**

 **HICCUP**

 **I can't stop myself. I see a dragon** **and I have to just... kill it, you** **know? It's who I am, Dad.**

"No, it's not," Hiccup muttered, barely loud enough for Astrid but loud and clear to the dragons.

 **STOICK**

 **You are many things, Hiccup. But a** **dragon killer is not one of them.**

 **Sting. Hiccup looks around to see many nods of agreement.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Get back to the house.**

 **(TO GOBBER)**

 **Make sure he gets there. I have his** **mess to clean up.**

 **Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction.** **Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the** **teen fire brigade as they snicker.**

 _Oh why do the gods hate me….._ Hiccup thought.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Quite the performance.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **I've never seen anyone mess up that** **badly. That helped!**

Snotlout just smirked at his comment. Up in the booth, Shilo growled. Vesper noticed this, "Sis, go get the doll I bought you from ACen. I've got a plan." Shilo smiled and went to find her doll.

 **HICCUP**

 **Thank you, thank you. I was** **trying, so...**

 **Hiccup avoids Astrid's glare and heads up toward a large** **house, standing prominently on the hill above the others.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I really did hit one.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Sure, Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **He never listens.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, it runs in the family.**

"What!" both Haddock men yelled. Stoick turned to Gobber who only replied,

"It's true."

 **HICCUP**

 **And when he does, it's always with** **this... disappointed scowl. Like** **someone skimped on the meat in his** **sandwich.**

 **(MIMICKING STOICK)**

 **Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you** **brought me the wrong offspring. I** **ordered an extra large boy with** **beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on** **the side. This here. This is a** **talking fish bone.**

The village was silent as they registered that. Stoick never said he was ashamed of hs son, but the picture Hiccup painted said just that. However, Snotlout was snickering at the "talking fish bone" line. Vesper jumped into action, dragging him to the front of the room where Shilo had appeared, a doll in her hands.

Vesper gave a nod, releasing Snotlout as Shilo placed the doll on the floor. She then waved her hands over it and ran away. Snotlout felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and was punched in the face. As he hit the floor, the man bent at the waist, waved his hand in front of his face and yelled "U can't C me!"*

Then he, Silo and Vesper vanished as the movie resumed.

 **GOBBER**

 **You're thinking about this all** **wrong. It's not so much what you** **look like. It's what's inside that** **he can't stand.**

 **Beat.**

"You really need to work on your pep talks, Gobber." Fishlegs said.

 **HICCUP**

 **Thank you, for summing that up.**

 **They reach the doorway.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Look, the point is, stop trying so** **hard to be something you're not.**

 **Hiccup SIGHS heavily.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I just want to be one of you guys.**

The village felt shamed at that line…. For all of 5 seconds.

 **Gobber eyes him sympathetically. Hiccup turns and goes** **through the front door...**

 **And straight out the back door. He hurries off into the** **woods, determined.**

"GOBBER! I said to take him home!" Stoick shouted.

Gobber turned and replied, "You said GET him home, not KEEP him home." This cause Stoick to flounder and shut his mouth/

 **INT. GREAT HALL - DAY**

 **A noisy din of PROTESTING VOICES leads to...**

 **STOICK, glowering in the firelight. Surrounded by his men.**

 **STOICK**

 **Either we finish them or they'll** **finish us! It's the only way we'll** **be rid of them! If we find the** **nest and destroy it, the dragons** **will leave. They'll find another** **home.**

The dragons laughed at that. Humans take on the Queen? Even if they beat her, Berk was the next nearest island…..

 **He sinks his blade into a...** **LARGE NAUTICAL MAP, spread out on the table... the blade** **pierces the middle of an uncharted corner, swirling with** **painted sea monsters and dragons.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **(DECIDEDLY)**

 **One more search. Before the ice** **sets in.**

 **VIKING**

 **Those ships never come back.**

"Then why go?" Astrid asked quietly.

 **STOICK**

 **(MATTER-OF-FACT)**

 **We're Vikings. It's an occupational** **hazard. Now who's with me?**

 **Stoick throws up his fist. No one follows. The crowds shifts** **in restless silence. Head scratches. Eyes averted.**

 **VIKING**

 **(FEEBLE)**

 **Today's not good for me.**

 **VIKING (CONT'D)**

 **(EQUALLY FEEBLE)**

 **I've gotta do my axe returns.**

 **STOICK**

 **Alright. Those who stay will look** **after Hiccup.**

Now Hiccup was pissed. You could see it in those eyes. Astrid did and she shrunk in her seat.

 **Hands jut into the air, volunteers galore. Enthusiastic** **murmurs of prep and packing fill the room.**

"Wow. You can feel the love," Hiccup deadpanned. The adults winced

 **PHLEGMA THE FIERCE**

 **To the ships!**

 **SPITELOUT**

 **I'm with you Stoick!**

 **STOICK**

 **(DRY)**

 **That's more like it.**

 **The Vikings rush for the door, leaving Gobber and Stoick** **alone. Gobber gulps back the contents of his tankard** **attachment and scrapes back the bench.**

 **GOBBER**

 **I'll pack my undies.**

A general eww sounded.

 **STOICK**

 **No, I need you to stay and train** **some new recruits.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy,** **Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten** **steel, razor sharp blades, lots of** **time to himself...what could** **possibly go wrong?**

Everyone turned to see Hiccup glaring at them.

 **Stoick sinks onto the bench beside Gobber, his brow burdened.**

 **STOICK**

 **What am I going to do with him**

 **Gobber?**

 **GOBBER**

 **Put him in training with the** **others.**

Everyone stared at Gobber like he had grown 5 heads.

 **STOICK**

 **No, I'm serious.**

 **GOBBER**

 **So am I.**

 **Stoick turns to him, glaring.**

 **STOICK**

 **He'd be killed before you let the** **first dragon out of its cage.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, you don't know that.**

 **STOICK**

 **I do know that, actually.**

 **GOBBER**

 **No, you don't.**

 **STOICK**

 **No, actually I do.**

 **GOBBER**

 **No you don't!**

 **STOICK**

 **Listen! You know what he's like.** **From the time he could crawl he's** **been...different. He doesn't** **listen.**

 **(MORE)**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Has the attention span of a** **sparrow. I take him fishing and he** **goes hunting for... for trolls.**

Hiccup made two puppets with his hands and made one say, "Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?" This got a giggle out of Astrid, which Snotlout heard ad seethed over.

 **GOBBER**

 **(DEFENSIVE)**

 **Trolls exist! They steal your** **socks.**

 **(DARKLY)**

 **But only the left ones. What's with** **that?**

More Astrid giggles.

 **STOICK**

 **When I was a boy...**

 **GOBBER**

 **(GRUMBLING)**

 **Oh here we go.**

 **STOICK**

 **My father told me to bang my head** **against a rock and I did it. I** **thought it was crazy, but I didn't** **question him. And you know what** **happened?**

"Headache?" Hiccup supplied.

 **GOBBER**

 **You got a headache.**

 **STOICK**

 **That rock split in two. It taught** **me what a Viking could do, Gobber.** **He could crush mountains, level** **forests, tame seas! Even as a boy,** **I knew what I was, what I had to** **become.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **Hiccup is not that boy.**

 _And I never will be. H_ e thought, a fierce look on his face at the mere thought of being like his father.

 **GOBBER**

 **You can't stop him, Stoick. You can** **only prepare him.**

Everyone stared at Gobber.

 **(BEAT)**

 **Look, I know it seems hopeless. But** **the truth is you won't always be** **around to protect him. He's going** **to get out there again. He's** **probably out there now.**

 **ON STOICK, as Gobber's words hit their mark.**

Silence rang as people started to understand their chief and his home life.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

*3 guesses who that is.

So, yeah Snotface gets a punch, the village gets a clue and I hope I get more likes!

I hope you guys are enjoying this. If so leave a comment.

Update: Better chapter!

Ta,Lovelies!


	4. The Meeting, The Fight

Yay! Chapter with an argument. This should end well.

Enjoy!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 **EXT. WOODS – DAY**

Everyone gasped. Hiccup was crazy but not that crazy… Right?

 **ON AN OPEN NOTEBOOK**

 **A drawn map of the island, covered in X's.** **Hiccup looks up from it and peeks over a gorge, expectantly.** **Sees nothing.** **He adds another 'X' to the page, then scratches his pencil** **over the whole map in frustration. He snaps the book closed** **and pockets it.**

"See, Astrid. This is why I don't read. And why we are meant to be." Snotlout said, glancing back at her, only to look away. The twins just stared at him.

 **HICCUP**

 **Uggh, the gods hate me. Some people** **lose their knife or their mug. No,** **not me. I manage to lose an entire** **dragon.**

This got laughs that trailed off since no one knew if it was supposed to laugh or be silent.

 **Hiccup WHACKS a low-hanging branch. It SNAPS back at him,** **hitting him in the face.**

Now that got laughs. Even Hiccup chuckled briefly before a look of horror spread over his face. This was noticed by Astrid, whose hand had been resting on the Nadder next to her unconsciously.

 **He looks up to see a snapped tree** **trunk. His eyes follow it to a long trench of up-turned** **earth. He follows it to a downed, black dragon, its body and tail** **tangled in a bola. It appears dead.**

The whole village stared, eyes wide. Stoick's face broke out into a grin.

 **Hiccup approaches,** **beaming.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(IN SHOCK)**

 **Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This** **fixes everything.**

 **(ELATED)**

 **Yes!**

 **He strikes a victory pose, planting his foot on the fallen** **Night Fury.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I have brought down this mighty** **beast!**

Grand cheering from everyone.

 **It suddenly shifts.**

The cheering stopped. It wasn't dead yet?!

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Whoa!**

 **Hiccup springs back, terrified. He turns his blade on it.** **Rattled, Hiccup creeps along the length of the weak, wounded** **dragon, dagger poised to strike.**

One thought ran through everyone's head, - _Hiccup will kill the beast._

 **As he reaches the head, Hiccup finds the Night Fury staring** **coldly at him. Hiccup tries to look away, but he's drawn back** **to its unnerving, unflinching stare.** **With the dragon safety tangled in the ropes, Hiccup jabs with** **his dagger, puffing himself up with false bravado.**

Snotlout snorted. Look at him, he's scared.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I'm going to kill you, Dragon. I'm** **gonna cut out your heart and take** **it to my father. I'm a Viking.**

Cheers rang out. Cries of "Kill the beast!" "Slit his throat." As well as Stoick cheering, "That's my boy!" Hiccup just stared at Toothless, who nudged his head and smiled. Hiccup rested his head on Toothless, looking away from what would happen next.

 **(BEAT)**

 **I am a VIKING!**

"No I'm not," Hiccup whispered.

 **Hiccup raises the dagger, determined to prove his Viking-** **ness. The dragon's labored breathing breaks Hiccup's clenched** **concentration. He opens an eye, uncertainty leaking through.** **The dragon holds the stare. Something profound is exchanged.**

Gobber stared at the screen, realizing what would happen next.

 **Finally, the Night Fury closes its eye and lowers its head,** **resigned to its fate.** **Hiccup tries to go through with it, holding the dagger** **aloft... fighting himself... until finally lowering it with a** **frustrated sigh.** **He looks over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(muttered, ashamed)**

 **I did this.**

Stoick and others just gapped.

 **He turns to leave. Pauses. And glances back at the dragon,** **chest heaving.** **Hiccup GRUMBLES. He checks over his shoulder to ensure that** **no one is watching... then hurries back to cut the ropes.**

Astrid was struggling to remain in her seat and not whack Hiccup over the head.

 **The Night Fury's eye shoots open. With the dragon watching** **his every move, Hiccup hurriedly saws through the bola ropes.** **As the last rope falls free, the Night Fury suddenly POUNCES!** **In a blur, the dragon is upon him, pinning Hiccup down,** **grazing his neck. Looking like it's about to kill him.**

Gasps rang out and everyone was pinned to their seat, praying to the gods that Hiccup wouldn't die.

 **Hiccup is paralyzed. The dragon's breath ruffles his hair. Hiccup** **opens his eyes to find the Night Fury's wolf-like stare** **boring into him. The exchange is intense, profound.**

Gobber stared at this exchange, curious. He had never seen any behavior like this from the dragons and he was around them all the time in training!

 _Just what has he learned from this?_

 **The dragon draws a deep breath, as though it's about to torch** **him, then lets out an ear-piercing scream instead. It turns** **and takes flight, flapping violently through the canopy of** **trees. It bashes against a nearby mountain side, recovers,** **and drops out of view some distance away.**

 **Winded, Hiccup struggles to his feet, staggers a few steps,** **collapses to his knees, and faints.**

Silence, just Silence. No one knew what to say. After all, THAT JUST HAPPENED. Finally, Stoick stood up and asked, "Tell me I did not see that that, Hiccup. Tell me you didn't do that."

Hiccup finally unburied his head, stood up and replied, "Take a look for yourself." Everyone in the theatre turned around. Jaws dropped as they toke in the scene – Hiccup surrounded by dragons, Terrors at his feet, Nightmares guarding their chairs, Zipplebacks behind the seats, Nadders by Astrid and a NIGHT FURY at Hiccup's right. No one moved or breathed until Vesper's voice rang out, "Everyone, please be seated. Your questions will be answered in good time."

Everyone took their seats, tensely awaiting what would happen next.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

I really like how this scene came out. Some part of me likes to think that Stoick would be scared shitless if he saw Hiccup surrounded by dragons, calm as can be.

If you liked this, leave a review. I hope to have the next chapter out in a few days. I also would love feedback on how I'm writing everyone.

Ta, lovelies!


	5. The Change, The First Day

Woo hoo, Chapter 5! Sorry for the wait. I started another story called "A Different Jurassic World" and was updating that. Now, though, back to this!

Enjoy!

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Everyone was seated again, wondering where the Hel this was going. Astrid, meanwhile, had begun to pet the Nadder to her left. Hiccup smiled and gave Toothless a scratch too.

 **INT. STOICK'S HOUSE – CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup enters to see...**

 **STOICK, seated, slouched**

 **over the fire-pit, stirring the coals with his axe. Embers**

 **waft around his beard.**

 **Hiccup tries to sneak past, up the stairs to his room. Stoick**

 **seems none the wiser, when... Creak.**

"Busted," Tuffnut said, which got a chuckle.

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(CAUGHT)**

 **Dad. Uh...**

 **Stoick stands, takes a deep breath.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I, uh... I have to talk to you,**

 **Dad.**

 **STOICK**

 **I need to speak with you too, son.**

 **Hiccup and Stoick STRAIGHTEN at the same moment.**

The village held its collective breathe.

 **HICCUP** _ **STOICK**_

 **I've decided I don't want to** _ **I think it's time you learn**_

 **fight dragons.** _ **to fight dragons.**_

Confused murmurings rang out. Both Haddocks changed their minds?

 **(BEAT) (BEAT)**

 **What? What?**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You go first.**

 **HICCUP**

 **No, you go first.**

"I should've gone first," Hiccup said, taking in the other dragons surrounding his seat.

 **STOICK**

 **Alright. You get your wish. Dragon**

 **training. You start in the morning.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(SCRAMBLING)**

 **Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh,**

 **'cause I was thinking, you know we**

 **have a surplus of dragon-fighting**

 **Vikings, but do we have enough**

 **bread-making Vikings, or small home**

 **REPAIR VIKINGS—**

The teens looked back at Hiccup who only said, "I'm horrible at lying under pressure."

 **STOICK**

 **-You'll need this.**

 **Stoick drops Hiccup his axe.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I don't want to fight dragons.**

 **STOICK**

 **Come on. Yes, you do.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Rephrase. Dad I** **can't** **kill dragons.**

"Can't? What do you mean YOU CAN'T?" Stoick yelled. Before Hiccup could even think of a response,

"Hiccup, don't answer that," said Vesper's voice. "Stoick, sit down."

Stoick didn't give up though, "Who are you and what do you hope to achieve with this? I DEMAND ANSWERS!"

"AND YOU WILL GET THEM IN DUE TIME!" Vesper yelled. "As for your other questions, that's for me to know and for you to learn. Now sit down."

Reluctantly, he did and sank into a slunk.

 **STOICK**

 **But you will kill dragons.**

 **HICCUP**

 **No, I'm really very extra sure that**

 **I won't.**

 **STOICK**

 **It's time Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Can you not hear me?**

The village was struck by this talk, no demand. Stoick wasn't listening…..

 **STOICK**

 **This is serious son!**

 **Stoick takes the axe out of Hiccup's hands.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **When you carry this axe... you**

 **carry all of us with you.**

The dragons laughed at the thought of the boy carrying his village without getting smashed. Hiccup looked back and couldn't hide his smile.

 _Well_ he thought, _They wanna know me, then I won't hold back_.

 **Stoick drop the axe into Hiccup's arms. Its weight drags**

 **him down. He looks up to see Stoick under-lit with firelight.**

 **Which means you walk like us.**

"Like someone replaced my shoulder blades with a log?" The village gapped. Had that come from….?

 **You talk like us.**

"No thanks," Hiccup said with an accent like Stoick.

 **You think like us.**

"NOOOOOO! NOT MY BRAINS!"

 **No more of...**

 **(GESTURING NON-**

 **specifically at Hiccup)**

 **... this.**

 **HICCUP**

 **You just gestured to all of me.**

"Is that your catchphrase now?" Astrid asked.

"Guess so."

 **STOICK**

 **Deal?**

 **HICCUP**

 **This conversation is feeling very**

 **one-sided.**

Stoick was brought out of his brooding by those words.

 **STOICK**

 **DEAL?!**

 **Hiccup glances at the axe in his hands. It's a no-win**

 **argument.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(RESIGNED)**

 **Deal.**

 **Satisfied, Stoick grabs his helmet and duffel bag... and**

 **heads for the door.**

 **STOICK**

 **Good. Train hard. I'll be back.**

 **Probably.**

 **HICCUP**

 **And I'll be here. Maybe.**

 **Stoick heads out the door, leaving Hiccup holding the axe.**

The adults had a look of disbelief on their faces.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast**

 **stone arena covered by chains.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Welcome to dragon training!**

"Finally! More of us." Snotlout said, clearly forgetting what happened earlier.

 **The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena**

 **Floor, holding weapons. They take it in like gladiators entering the**

 **coliseum. The walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of**

 **blasted Vikings. It's a grim yet awe-inspiring place.**

The dragon shuddered at the thought of spending a life in a cage, only to fight others and be killed for sport.

 **ASTRID**

 **No turning back.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **I hope I get some serious burns.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **I'm hoping for some mauling, like**

 **on my shoulder or lower back.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Yeah, it's only fun if you get a**

 **scar out of it.**

 **HICCUP (O.S.)**

 **Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love**

 **it.**

"I know, right?" Tuffnut said. Everyone groaned, even Snotlout.

 **The recruits turn to see Hiccup behind them. Groans all**

 **around.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Oh great. Who let him in?**

 **GOBBER**

 **Let's get started! The recruit who**

 **does best will win the honor of**

 **killing his first dragon in front**

 **of the entire village.**

 _Where's the honor in that?_ Toothless thought.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Hiccup already killed a Night Fury,**

 **so does that disqualify him or...?**

 **The recruits LAUGH and chatter in the background.**

Snotlout shrank in his seat, either in shame or fear over being eaten.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Can I transfer to the class wi+th**

 **the cool Vikings?**

 **Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him**

 **along.**

 **GOBBER**

 **(cheery, in confidence)**

 **Don't worry. You're small and**

 **you're weak. That'll make you less**

 **of a target. They'll see you as**

 **sick or insane and go after the**

 **more Viking-like teens instead.**

"Was that supposed to be supportive?" Hiccup asked. Amidst the glare from Stoick, Gobber didn't say anything.

 **GOBBER stick him in line with the others and continues on**

 **toward five massive reinforced doors. Terrible ROARS and**

 **BELLOWS issue from within.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Behind these doors are just a few**

 **of the many species you will learn**

 **to fight.**

 **Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to**

 **contain himself.**

So did the dragons.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **The Deadly Nadder.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(under his breath)**

 **Speed eight. Armor sixteen.**

The Nadders trilled.

 **GOBBER**

 **The Hideous Zippleback.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Plus eleven stealth. Times two.**

The gas head filled the room with smoke.

 **GOBBER**

 **The Monstrous Nightmare.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Firepower fifteen.**

The Nightmares briefly flare up.

 **GOBBER**

 **The Terrible Terror.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Attack eight. Venom twelve.**

Astrid picked up a Terror, wondering how something so small was so deadly. To prove it, the Terror curled up in her lap and purred.

 **GOBBER**

 **CAN YOU STOP THAT?!**

"Thank You, Gobber!" The teens yelled.

 **(BEAT)**

 **And...the Gronckle.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(quietly; to himself)**

 **Jaw strength, eight.**

 **Gobber pulls a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of**

 **the doors.**

"Gobber, what are you doing?" Stoick said quietly.

"He believes in earning on the job, Dad. You should know that by now." Hiccup responded.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach**

 **us first!?**

 **GOBBER**

 **I believe in learning on the job.**

 **BAM! A GRONCKLE thunders out of its cave, charging into the**

 **ring like an irate rhino. The Gronckle scoops up a pile of rocks**

 **and SWALLOWS them back.**

 **The recruits scramble in every direction.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Today is about survival. If you get**

 **blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's**

 **the first thing you're going to**

 **need?**

"Three guesses what," Vesper asked.

 **HICCUP**

 **A doctor?**

"No, that's after"

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Plus five speed?**

"Really?"

 **ASTRID**

 **A shield.**

"DING! Winner! And here's your prize." A plastic tiara dropped into Astrid's lap. She smiled and and placd it on her head.

 **GOBBER**

 **Shields. Go.**

 **The recruits scramble for shields, finding them scattered**

 **around the ring.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Your most important piece of**

 **equipment is your shield. If you**

 **must make a choice between a sword**

 **or a shield, take the shield.**

 **Hiccup STRUGGLES to lift his. Gobber helps him and sends him**

 **running.**

Stoick sighed in relief. At least Hiccup wouldn't get seriously hurt…..

 **Ruff and Tuff stand amidst a dozen shields. But only one has**

 **a skull painted on it. They both grab it.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Get your hands off my shield!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **There are like a million shields!**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Take that one, it has a flower on**

 **it. Girls like flowers.**

"Not all girls like flowers. Shilo added.

 **Ruffnut uses the shield to BASH Tuffnut in the face. He**

 **doesn't let go.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **Ooops, now this one has blood on**

 **it.**

 **The Gronckle takes aim at the distracted twins. Blam! The**

 **shield is blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff**

 **SPIN like tops and go down.**

"Now, neither one of you have a shield," Hiccup muttered.

 **GOBBER**

 **Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(DAZED)**

 **What?!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(CONFUSED)**

 **What?!**

 **The teens gather on the far side of the ring.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Those shields are good for another**

 **thing. Noise. Make lots of it to**

 **throw off a dragon's aim.**

 **The kids scoop up weapons and begin hammering on their**

 **shields. The Gronckle shakes its head at the clatter.**

 **GRONCKLE'S POV - the teens targets become blurry and**

 **scrambled. It's working.**

The Vikings were intrigued by this view while the dragons were annoyed.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **All dragons have a limited number**

 **of shots. How many does a Gronckle**

 **have?**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Five!**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **No, six.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Correct, six. That's one for each**

 **of you!**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **I really don't think my parents**

 **WOULD-**

 **BAM! Fishlegs has his shield blasted away.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Fishlegs, out.**

 **Gobber spots Hiccup hiding from the Gronckle's molten slugs.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup, get in there!**

"How 'bout no, Gobber"

 **ON ASTRID bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast.**

 **Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **So anyway I'm moving into my**

 **parents' basement. You should come**

 **by sometime to work out. You look**

 **like you work out—**

Spitelout groaned. It was times like these that made him wish his son had more than 4 brain cells.

 **She cartwheels out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past**

 **her and hit Snotlout's shield. He's blasted onto his back.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Snotlout! You're done!**

 **Astrid ROLLS to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirs awkwardly,**

 **trying to look cool.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(VOICE BREAKING)**

 **So, I guess it's just you and me**

 **huh?**

 **ASTRID**

 **No. Just you.**

 **Astrid ROLLS away. A split-second later a lava slug knocks**

 **Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup is exposed.**

 **GOBBER**

 **One shot left!**

 **Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across**

 **the ring.**

 _Oh no,_ Toothless thought.

 **The sudden movement sends the Gronckle chasing after him,**

 **leaving Astrid in the clear.**

 _Sratch that,_ Stoick thought.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(WORRIED)**

 **Hiccup!**

 **The Gronckle drives straight toward Hiccup, pinning him**

 **against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail,**

 **ready to fire point-blank.**

 **Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronckle's mouth at the last**

 **second, causing its head to jerk back and fire against the**

 **stone wall above Hiccup's head.**

Stoick relaxed. Hiccup was safe.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(rattled, but masking it)**

 **And that's six!**

 **Gobber wrestles the irate Gronckle back into his pen.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Go back to bed, ya overgrown**

 **sausage! You'll get another chance,**

 **don't you worry.**

 **Slam! Lock. Gobber turns to the recruits.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Remember... a dragon will always,**

 **(with a stern look to**

 **HICCUP)**

 **always go for the kill.**

 **He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off. Hiccup looks**

 **overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall.**

The whole village paused at Gobber's words. Before they would have believed the same, but now they paused. One phrase was on their minds –

Woohoo! Done! Hope you enjoy it. I'll post the next scene soon and then post for my other stories. Leave a review if you liked it!

P.S. the next 2 weeks will be busy, so updates may be scarce.

Bye!


	6. The Questions

**EXT. WOODS/HIDDEN COVE - DUSK**

 **HICCUP, battered after another disastrous day in the ring. He**

 **studies the remnants of the discarded bola... revealing that**

 **he's back at the scene of the crime.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(MUTTERED)**

 **So...why didn't you?**

"Yeah, why didn't he?" Fishlegs asked, turning back toward Hiccup. Hiccup just stared.

 **He drops the bola and presses on in the direction it flew**

 **off. He drops into a rocky crevice and follows it to an...**

 **ISOLATED COVE complete with a pristine spring pool.**

Astrid smiled. It looked so srene.

 **He scans the high stone walls... then notices a few black SCALES on**

 **the ground.**

Fishlegs leaned to closer examine the scales, noticing their shape and shine.

 **He crouches and picks it up, studying it.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Well this was stupid.**

Astrid frowned. The dragon – Toothless – should have been there.

 **SUDDENLY, the NIGHT FURY blasts past him.**

Everyone gasped.

 **Hiccup recoils, watching the massive beast struggle to climb the walls.**

 **It flaps violently, then peels away to a rough landing.**

 **The dragon is trapped.**

The village stared at the beast trying to fly away. What was stopping it? Meanwhile, Stoick prayed the beast was dead for the village's sake.

 **Hiccup grins, excited to see it again, and slips closer.**

 **He watches as the dragon, exhausted and frustrated, leaps**

 **into the air, beating its wings furiously. Again and again,**

 **it rolls uncontrolled and CRASHES heavily.**

The other dragons winced. Falling for a dragon was never fun.

 **As if remembering to snap a photo, Hiccup pulls a leather-**

 **bound book and flips past drawings of weapons to a blank**

 **page. He sketches the dragon quickly, desperate to record the**

 **image.**

"You can draw?" Snotlout asked.

"Oh sure he does. That's where his ideas come from." Gobber answered. The teens were stunned.

 **The Fury claws at the steep rock walls, trying climb out of**

 **the cove. It SLIPS and falls hard, crushing several saplings.**

 **The Fury rolls back to his feet and slowly crawls to the**

 **water's edge. He spots fish in the shallow water and snaps at**

 **them... but comes up empty. He lowers his head, looking**

 **weakened.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(MUTTERED)**

 **Why don't you just...fly away?**

"Yeah, why doesn't it?" Ruffnut mumbled.

 **ON HICCUP as he spots the problem. He adjusts his drawing,**

 **carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail.**

The village relaxed, knowing the dragon would die without its wing. Meanwhile, Hiccup hugged Toothless while whispering, "I'm sorry bud."

Toothless said nothing. All was forgiven.

 **He accidentally drops the charcoal stick. It rolls off of the**

 **rock outcropping that hides him from view and bounces into**

 **the cove. TINK. TINK. TINK.**

Oh no.

 **The Night Fury raises his head, spotting Hiccup. They**

 **exchange a profound, unflinching stare.**

The adults stared. Why wasn't that dragon attacking. It made no sense!

In the booth, Vesper smiled to her sister.

Things would get very interesting now.

Ok, saying this now – all toothless chapters will have only those scenes.

Yeah I know it's short but I'm gonna be busy in the next two weeks.

As always, leave a comment and I'll see you all next chapter!


	7. The Book, The First Change

Sorry I haven't updated in a while – a skating composition got in the way AND on Sunday, I'm going to LA for vacation. So, no updates next week and a big one today.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. GREAT HALL – NIGHT**

 **A storm is brewing outside.**

 **Rain falls over the great doors of the hall as Hiccup enters, drenched.**

"How long were you out?" Astrid asked curious.

"Well, I left for the cove after training, so about…six or seven hours?" Hiccup replied. Stoick turned a violent shade of red and grabbed Gobber.

"I said to watch him, GOBBER. How do you lose track of him?" he asked. Gobber just shook his head.

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?**

"Oh boy, here we go again," Ruffnut sighed.

 **The recruits are seated at a table, eating dinner by the glow of the fire pit.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I mistimed my summersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble.**

 **Eye rolls from the group.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(SARCASTIC)**

 **Yeah. We noticed.**

Astrid stared – they didn't think that was a problem?

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'.**

 _Of course, the one person who does, I don't care about._ Astrid thought. Meanwhile, Snotlout stared at her. _What's she doing with Fishbone? What's he got that I don't?_

 **GOBBER**

 **She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves.**

 **Gobber glances at Hiccup.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(to Hiccup)**

 **Where did Hiccup go wrong?**

Stoick leaned forward. What would the other trainees say about his son?

 **He grabs a plate and tries to take a seat at the table...**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **He showed up.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **He didn't get eaten.**

 **... but Snotlout keep closing the gaps. Rolling his eyes,**

 **Hiccup grabs a mug and sits at the vacant table next to them.**

Stoick stared, slack jawed, before turning around and glaring at the teens. They shrank in their seats.

 **ASTRID**

 **He's never where he should be.**

"Sorry about that," Astrid whispered to Hiccup.

"It's ok. You had a point." He replied. Astrid looked puzzled, but he continued, "I'm never needed in the village so I'm not there. But I am with Toothless, which is where I should be."

Astrid smiled at him and the Nadder next to her nudged her arm. "I'm guessing you're where you should be now too." Astrid smiled and began to run her hands down the Nadders' scales.

 **GOBBER**

 **Thank you, Astrid.**

 **Gobber stands.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **You need to live and breathe this stuff.**

 **Gobber lays a giant book in the center of the table.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of.**

 _Well,_ _almost_ _every dragon,_ Gobber thought, sneaking a glimpse at the fabled Night Fury.

 **A RUMBLE of thunder shakes the hall. Rain pours down outside.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **No attacks tonight. Study up.**

 **Gobber EXITS into the storm, leaving the teens staring at the book.**

"Really, Gobber? You thought they would have read it with a free evening staring them in the face?" Hiccup asked. Gobber sank into his seat.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(you've got to be kidding)**

 **Wait, you mean read?**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **While we're still alive?**

"No, when you're dead." Hiccup deadpanned

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?**

Hiccup just sighed.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh! I've read it like, seven times.**

 **There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face.**

 **And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week...**

 **The teens stare as Fishlegs goes on too long.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Yeah, that sounds great. There was a chance I was going to read that...**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **...but now...**

 **Snotlout gets up to go.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **You guys read, I'll go kill stuff.**

"Yeah! Why read anyway?" Snotlout asked. Vesper sighed but Hiccup said,

"To have more than 2 working brain cells."

Laughter burst out while Snotlout turned red.

 **The others follow, with Fishlegs in tow.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh and there's this other one that has these spines that look like trees...**

 **Astrid is the last to go.**

 **HICCUP**

 **So I guess we'll share-**

 **ASTRID**

 **Read it.**

 **She pushes it toward him and leaves.**

 **HICCUP**

 **All mine then. Wow, so okay. I'll** **SEE YOU—**

 **Slam.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Tomorrow.**

 **SIGH.**

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. GREAT HALL - LATE NIGHT**

 **ON HICCUP**

 **Thunder BOOMS outside. The hall is vacant and dark, but for the few candles he's pulled together. Hiccup opens the book and begins to read.**

Everyone stared. Shouldn't he be home?

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Dragon classifications. Strike**

 **class. Fear class. Mystery class.**

 **Hiccup turns the page.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools.**

 **(MORE)**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup's eyes drift to lurid illustrations of decapitated Vikings.**

 **When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that**

 **can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.**

 **Another page, another dragon.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown**

 **trees...extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous.**

 **The storm outside rages against the shuttered windows.**

Everyone jumped in their seats, except for Hiccup who just stared at the screen.

 **Hiccup is startled, but presses on.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight.**

 **He begins flipping through the pages. A blur of dragons...**

Gobber stared. Hiccup was looked for something….

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Bone Knapper. Whispering Death.**

 **Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside-out.**

 **Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous.**

 **Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight...**

 **Hiccup finally lands upon the page he's been looking for.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Night Fury.**

 **It's BLANK - no image, save for a few, sparse details.**

Toothless sighed. _No knowledge on me. Good._

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.**

A few brave kids turned around to stare at Toothless. He didn't look THAT scary.

 **(MORE)**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Never engage this dragon. Your only**

 **chance, hide and pray it does not find you.**

 **Hiccup pulls his sketchbook out of his vest and opens it to**

 **his drawing of Toothless. He lays it over the book's blank page and considers it.**

The kids stared while their parents pondered. Finally, one brave girl got out of her seat and began to ascend the steps. Hiccup saw her and got out of his seat, Toothless in tow. They stopped in front of her. Hiccup nudged Toothless who approached the little girl. He sniffed her and gave her a smile. She smiled back. Hiccup then approached the girl, took her hand and placed it on Toothless's snout.

The girl stared at the once scary dragon, now calm. She removed her hand and yelled, "Come on! They're nice!" Amidst the cries of parents now glued to their seats, the children ran up to the top levels and sat in the seats there.

In their booth, Shilo and Vesper smiled.

 **CLOSE ON the drawing of Toothless...**

 **MATCH CUT TO:**

 **EXT. HIGH SEAS - DAWN**

 **A painted DRAGON, with a sword run through it. It's the billowing sail of Stoick's ship.**

 **Stoick hovers over the familiar nautical map - his eyes on**

 **the uncharted corner, swirling in mist and illustrations of dragons.**

 **STOICK**

 **I can almost smell them. They're close. Steady.**

 **Stoick raises his gaze to...**

 **AN EPIC FOG BANK, towering from sky to sea like a bruised,**

 **daunting curtain, beyond which nothing is visible. The three**

 **ships drift alongside it, skirting its solid edge, looking for an opening.**

The dragons – now curled up next to the kids – prayed the humans wouldn't be hurt.

 **ON DECK the crewmen mill nervously, all too aware of what Stoick is considering.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Take us in.**

 **The helmsman steers Stoick's ship into the fog.**

 **VIKING**

 **Hard to port... for Helheim's gate.**

 **The ships disappear into the whiteout.**

 **A BEAT**

 **Suddenly a flash of light. A silhouette of a dragon. Hollers.**

Shudders on both ends.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - RING - DAY**

 **CLOSE ON Hiccup welding a new shield and an axe TALKING TO GOBBER OFF-SCRENE.**

 **HICCUP**

 **You know, I just happened to notice**

 **the book had nothing on Night Furies.**

 **Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?**

 _So, THAT'S why he was asking those questions,_ Gobber thought.

 **KABLAM! A blast takes the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt,**

 **leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup YELPS and RUNS.**

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **FOCUS Hiccup! You're not even trying.**

 **CUT BACK to reveal a Deadly Nadder, loose in a maze-like**

 **arrangement of moveable walls. Gobber calls orders from**

 **above.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Today... is all about attack.**

"When is it not?" Tuffnut asked.

 **The Nadder hops from wall to wall, sending the recruits scurrying.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Nadders are quick and light on their feet.**

 **Your job is to be quicker and lighter.**

 **The teens move in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy shield.**

 **The Nadder spots Fishlegs' ample rear hiding behind a wall. It whips its tail of spikes. Fishlegs SCREAMS and lifts his shield to shield himself from the spray.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods.**

"So am I." Stoick said. The teens needed to learn how to fight dragons, not almost DIE in the process!

 **GOBBER**

 **Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike.**

 **Ruff and Tuff rush in, diving and rolling up to the Nadder's nose.**

 **The Nadder sniffs the air - it can't see them.**

 **Tuff and Ruff are smashed together - too close for comfort.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(WHISPERED)**

 **Do you ever bathe?**

"Not for weeks." Tuffnut replied amidst groans from every female in Berk and a few males.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **How about I give you one!**

 **Ruff and Tuff SHOVE each other, till their movement and noise**

 **gives them away. The Nadder ATTACKS, SNAPPING at both of them.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much.**

Laughter.

 **Hiccup wanders up to Gobber, while the others dart past.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?**

Stoick was starting to lose his patience with his son. Why wasn't he focusing?!

 **GOBBER**

 **None one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I know, I know, but hypothetically...**

 **ASTRID**

 **(WHISPERED)**

 **Hiccup!**

 **She puts her finger to her lips and gestures for him to hide.**

 **Astrid somersaults to the next wall, followed by Snotlout and Hiccup, who doesn't make it. He runs away. The Nadder moves up and over to Astrid and Snotlout. She rears back to strike - just as Snotlout LEAPS IN, protectively SWEEPING Astrid behind him.**

"Why Snotlout, Why?" Vesper asked. "You know she's a better fighter than you."

"I'm protecting her, like a man should." He replied. Vesper sighed and replied,

"I think HICCUP could protect her better than you could." Snotlout's ego deflated as the little ones laughed at him. And to make things worse, a Terror set his clothes on fire.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Watch out babe. I'll take care of this.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hey!**

 **Snotlout MISSES. Astrid glares at him.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **(DEFENSIVE)**

 **The sun was in my eyes, Astrid.**

"No excuse," Shilo said.

 **What do you want me to do, block out the sun?**

 **I could do that, but I don't have time right now!**

"What are you, Odin?" Vesper asked. Snotlout was at the end of his rope with those two.

 **The Nadder tears off after her, knocking down walls in**

 **pursuit. She leaps and dives like a highly trained gymnast.**

 **Hiccup wanders up to Gobber again.**

 **HICCUP**

 **They probably take the daytime off.**

 **You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?**

Stoick was also at the end of his rope. Why wasn't Hiccup CARING?!

 **GOBBER**

 **Hiccup!**

 **ASTRID**

 **-Hiccup!**

 **Hiccup spins around to see the maze walls collapsing like dominos toward him. Astrid comes flying through the dust and crash-lands on top of him, laying him out in a limb-tangled mess.**

Astrid went blood-red while Hiccup hid his head in his hands.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Oooh! Love on the battlefield!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **She could do better.**

"With who?" Vesper asked. "Certainly not you or Snotlout."

 **The Nadder closes in, emerging through the cloud of dust.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(struggling to untangle her AXE from his SHIELD)**

 **Just... let me... why don't you...**

 **The Nadder spins around and races back toward them like a Raptor.**

 **Astrid untangles herself and tries to pull her axe from**

 **Hiccup's shield... which is attached to his limp, gangly arm.**

 **She PLANTS her foot on his head and YANKS the axe free, still burrowed into the shield.**

"Sorry for that," Astrid said. Hiccup just waved it off, "It's ok. Worse has happened."

She felt even worse.

 **She SPINS and SWINGS the axe and shield, scoring a DIRECT HIT**

 **on the oncoming Nadder's NOSE. It yelps and scurries off.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well done, Astrid.**

 **Gobber hobbles off to wrestle the Nadder back into his cave.**

 **Hiccup gets to his feet - all eyes are upon him.**

 **He turns to find Astrid glaring at him, winded.**

 _Oh yes,_ Snotlout thought, a smirk on his face.

 **ASTRID**

 **Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours.**

 **Figure out which side you're on.**

 **She grabs her axe and stomps off. Hiccup watches, stung.**

The village looked confused. Dragons were the enemy. That was easy, so why was Hiccup confused?

Vesper smiled; her favorite scene was next.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

I'm a cock tease aren't I? Don't worry; the best scene so far will be coming in the next two weeks!

If you liked it, leave a review. I really want to hear your thoughts. I'll post the next chapter the week after next.

See you next chapter!

Ta, Lovelies!


	8. The Forbbiden Friendship

Woohoo! Finally! Sorry this took so long, but I had a great time in L.A and now I'm bringing you guys this!

Enjoy!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

The kids settled in and small Terrors curled up around them. One little girl picked hers up and hugged it. The Terror looked up at Hiccup, who tried to hide his laughs.

 **EXT. COVE - MAGIC HOUR**

Stoick just stared at the screen. Yup, his son had lost it. Hiccup had become the town crazy. But unknown to him, Gobber stared at the screen, wondering…

 **CLOSE ON**

 **Hiccup, carrying a fish... being thrown into the cove. It hits the ground and slides. A moment later, Hiccup peeks over a shield, looking around cautiously. Nothing. Hiccup moves… and gets his shield stuck. He tries to budge it… nope and has to squeeze under it.**

Laughter rang out. Even the kids giggled and Hiccup just shook his head.

 **He picks up the fish and enters the cove. A BEAT, then Hiccup hears a SNORT from behind him. Hiccup turns to see the Night Fury, crouched on a rock like a stealthy panther. It descends, approaching him... ready to pounce.**

No one moved. Everyone feared the worst. Even Snotlout feared for his cousin.

 **Hiccup swallows his fear and offers the fish. Doing so reveals the dagger at his waist.**

Stoick breathed a sigh of relief. At least Hiccup wasn't defenseless.

 **The dragon sees it and hisses. Hiccup reaches for it, eliciting a growl. He pauses,**

 **carefully lifts it by the handle, and drops it. The dragon is not satisfied, so Hiccup uses his foot to tosh it into the pond.**

 _Sratch that. He's still crazy._ Stoick thought.

 **The dragon calms. It looks almost…cute.**

"Aww!" The kids yelled. The adults and teens just looked puzzled. Shouldn't the dragon be attacking? Gobber was staring with interest.

 **As it approaches the fish, Hiccup notices that it's missing teeth.**

The adults stared. The dragon had teeth when Hiccup freed it, so where did they go?

 **HICCUP**

 **Huh. Toothless. I could've sworn** **you had...**

 **A set of razor sharp teeth emerge from its gums to grab the fish.**

Everyone jumped. Some out of shock, others fright and some curious.

 **Toothless snatches and gnashes it up, swallowing it.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... teeth.**

 **The teeth retract again.**

 **Toothless presses closer with an expectant look. Hiccup retreats nervously.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Uh, no. No, I don't have any more.**

 **The Fury backs Hiccup against a rock, placing himself the same position as before. The dragon closes in over him, staring blankly.**

Everyone leaned in, wondering what would happen.

 **A tense moment passes... then Toothless regurgitates a chunk of fish onto Hiccup's lap.**

Cries of "Eww!" rang out. Even the twins were disgusted.

 **He then sits down. They exchange stares. Hiccup realizes what Toothless wants him to do.**

 **Hiccup crouches slowly and squeamishly picks it up.**

 _Oh no._ No one knew what to say, only wonder if Hiccup would really….?

 **The dragon waits expectantly. Hiccup gags and gnaws off a bite of the slimy fish. He nods, pleased… only for the dragon to want him to swallow. Hiccup does so, disgusted. He forces a smile.**

Everyone gagged. Hiccup grimaced, remembering the slimy fish trickling down his troat. It made him shudder.

 **Toothless mimics him.**

Toothless gave his smile as other Vikings turned to stared. This was new…! Even Gobber had to have a look.

 **Amazed, Hiccup sits up and tries to touch him. Toothless HISSES and flaps off to a crash on the other side of the cove.**

The adults sighed. At least something remained constant in their view of dragons.

From up in the booth, Vesper shook her head at them.

 **He BLASTS the mossy ground to a red-hot temperature... and curls up on it like a giant dog. He turns to find Hiccup seated beside him.**

"Persistent, much?" Astrid asked. Hiccup just shrugged.

 **Toothless tolerates his persistent presence until Hiccup tries to touch his damaged tail. Toothless SNAPS at him. Hiccup takes the hint and leaves.**

Stoick sighed in relief. At least Hiccup was leaving at back at the house….

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **It's MAGIC HOUR. Toothless wakes, hanging upside down from a tree.**

The youngest of the kids pointed at Toothless and said, very matter-of-factly, "Bat." Toothless walked up to her seat and puffed hot air into her face. She giggled and hugged him, much to the shock of the parents seated below.

 **He spots Hiccup sitting on the other side of the cove.**

Stoick now believed Hiccup needed a nanny.

 **Sketching in the sand. CLOSE ON a sketch of Toothless.**

Astrid whistled. That was pretty impressive for a dirt doodle. The twins looked intrigued. The adults too. Even Stoick stared at what his son had made.

 **Hiccup draws with a stick, minding his own business. Toothless appears behind him, watching carefully. Aware of his presence, Hiccup continues, trying not to scare him off.**

 **Toothless walks off.**

Laughter burst out at the dragon's silly waddling walk.

 **A moment later, he reappears with an entire sapling, drawing lines in the sand. He rushes here and there, making haphazard lines in every direction, even hitting Hiccup over the head.**

Toothless nudged the back of Hiccup's head in apology. Hiccup just smiled.

 **Finally, Toothless drops the tree and inspects his work. He seems pleased.**

 **Hiccup stands and takes in the sprawling scribble, amazed by it.**

Everyone was silent at this. The dragon just drew a picture. DREW.A. PICTURE! Most of their head looked ready to combust at this revelation.

 **He accidentally steps onto one of the lines, eliciting an instant growl from Toothless. He raises his foot, Toothless calms and steps on it again. He repeats this a few times.**

Stoick began to sweat. Did Hiccup **WANT** to get eaten? Astrid, on the other hand, found moody Toothless adorable. Hiccup smiled at her glee.

 **Toothless growls again. Realizing how sensitive he is, Hiccup steps over the line, pleasing him. He then steps carefully between each line, turning round and round…**

"Look! He's dancing!" said one little girl. Hiccup smiled when then,

"Hey Hiccup," Vesper began. "Would you come down in front of the screen to physically show everyone what will happen next?"

"Um… aright." Hiccup replied, getting out of his seat. He descended the stairs – Toothless in tow – watching with a kind-of glee at the scared Vikings cowering away from Toothless. He made it to the front and stopped, not sure what to do next.

 **until he unwittingly bumps into Toothless. Toothless snorts. Once again, they're face to face.**

 _Oh NOW I get it._ Hiccup thought, knowing just what to do next.

 **Hiccup slowly extends his hand. Toothless hesitates, growling. Hiccup turns his head away and closes his eyes.**

Hiccup did as he had done before as Vikings stared. Hiccup had no weapons, the dragon hadn't attacked and now Hiccup wanted to TOUCH IT!? Even the twins knew that that was a level of crazy they would **never** touch.

 **To his amazement, Toothless bridges the gap and presses his muzzle against Hiccup's hand.**

Toothless followed the screen. Meanwhile, no one moved. They were in too much shock. Stoick and Gobber were leaning off their seats.

 **Hiccup tenses, but then looks toward him. Toothless moves away and shakes his head. In a flash, the dragon is gone, leaving Hiccup astounded.**

Unlike the screen, Toothless moved in and Hiccup hugged his neck. Astrid stared at them, finally understanding. The Nadder next to her trilled and she laid her head against its, smiling. The tiara was jostled as they embraced. Hiccup smiled, only for Stoick to shake off the shock and turned his dark eyes on Hiccup. One word escaped his mouth,

" **Traitor**."

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Uh oh, someone's mad. Well, we'll see that later.

But now, some bad news – I start school in less than a week. Yeah, so, updates will be on the slow side for a while, but I will try to update once a week. It may not always be this story but I will try.

On another note, I've been re-reading some old chapter and I've been thinking about revising them. What do you guys think? Leave a comment with love, hate or anything.

Also, let's see if I can get an even 20 reviews for this story. More reviews mean faster updates!

Ta, lovelies!


	9. The Truth, The Tail

Woohoo! Chapter 9! The last one posted before I go back to school sadly…. But! We shall not dwell on that now. We have a fight to get to!

Can't believe I went 9 chapters without saying this, but I only own Vesper and Shilo and the modified script I made myself.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Stoick's eyes were burning holes into Hiccup. But, rather than shrink and look sorry, Hiccup stood tall, a hand on Toothless, eyes defiant. Toothless stared as well, daring Stoick to harm his rider. Seconds passed when Stoick finally reopened his mouth, "How DARE you, Hiccup. You would turn your back on US?! Your family? Your friends? All for what – a dragon?!" Stoick finished as all eyes returned to Hiccup.

Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself… before starting to laugh. The whole village stared at him, confused. Even Astrid was worried he'd lost it. Finally, he stopped and turned his eyes on Stoick, asking, "What family? What friends? My only friend is right here." He said resting a hand on Toothless who growled.

Suddenly, Shilo appeared gesturing to Hiccup to go back to his seat. At the same time, sandbags fell followed by heavy iron manacles. Each cuff latched onto a wrist which forced the vikings to be seated. Hiccup reached his seat and Shilo vanished, returning to her sister.

Vesper turned on the intercom and said, "I will explain more after these next few scenes." The movie then restarted.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT**

 **Gobber and the recruits are seated at the top of an abandoned catapult tower, roasting chickens around a roaring bonfire. Well, except Hiccup who has a fish.**

 _Heh, fish outta water,_ Snotlout thought.

 **GOBBER**

 **...and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole. I saw the look on his face.**

 **(can't deny it)**

 **I was delicious. He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg.**

The other dragons shuddered. The fat blond lost his arm because it smelled like fish and his leg smelled of mutton. He wasn't tasty, not at all.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon? Like if your mind was still in control of it you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing his heart or something.**

Everyone stared at Fishlegs, questioning his sanity. Even Fishlegs was confused by his own thinking.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **He postures.**

 **I swear I'm so angry right now. I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face.**

"Um, how would that even work?" Ruffnut asked. Snotlout blanched, muttering out some excuse about holding an axe with his month but she didn't buy it. Punctuating her thoughts was Vesper saying, "Snotlout, you're bluffing, please stop." He did.

 **GOBBER**

 **(He rips off a wing from his chicken)**

 **Un-unh. It's the wings and the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon.**

 **ON HICCUP'S horrified look of realization.**

 _What's he thinking?_ Gobber thought.

 **Gobber stands and stretches.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be too. Tomorrow we get into the big boys.**

 **Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare.**

 **(playful, taunting)**

 **But who'll win the honor of killing it?**

 **The camera pans around to all the recruits' excited faces. It reaches Hiccup's fish without Hiccup**

Stoick – while still mad – was shocked at how few people noticed his son disappearing at all times. Wasn't SOMEONE watching him?

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(very matter of fact)**

 **It's gonna be me.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **It's my destiny. See?**

 **Astrid sees that Hiccup is gone.**

 _Well, Astrid did._ Stoick thought, somewhat pleased.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(GASPS)**

 **Your mom let you get a tattoo?**

Tuffnut shrank in his seat. He was busted.

 **CLOSE ON Hiccup running down the stairs.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **It's not a tattoo. It's a birthmark.**

 **Astrid sees him leave, a curious look on her face.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **Okay, I've been stuck with you since birth, and that was never there before.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Yes it was. You've just never seen me from the left side until now.**

 **She returns to the group.**

 _Strach that._ Stoick thought.

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - MOMENTS LATER**

 **Hiccup enters a small room at the back of the stall. It's covered in drawings of weaponry and scale models. He lays his sketchbook out on the desk, opening it to the drawing of Toothless. With a look of determination, Hiccup picks up a charcoal stick and re-draws the missing tail.**

Gobber stared. What was he doing….?

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - LATER**

 **CLOSE ON**

 **...HICCUP, pumping a creaking leather bellows heating a greatsword. The stone forge glows with every pump.**

Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. How the Hel was Hiccup moving that like it was nothing?!

 **Hiccup stands at the anvil, lightly hammering a rod. He blows on it and dunks it into a barrel. The piece is carried to Hiccup's workbench and laid out over a schematic.**

Gobber took a moment to admire the craftsmanship. Whatever Hiccup was building looked incredible!

 **He removes the nails from his shield, reshapes them, weighs them, (Showing off his natural left-handedness)**

"You're left handed?" Astrid asked curious. Every time she saw Hiccup, he was using he right hand…

"I can use both, but I'm better with my left." Hiccup replied off-handedly. The village took this as a sign.

 **and fits them together. He continues to fit the pieces together, looking determined.**

Astrid took a moment to admire the look on Hiccup's face. It was unlike anything she'd seen from him before and it was… kinda hot.

 **He fits leather over a frame and holds it up – it is a replica of a tailfin. Satisfied, he nods and SNAPS it shut.**

No one moved or spoke; they were too shocked to. Hiccup had built a TAILFIN for a dragon in hopes of it flying again. Who did things like that?!

In a flash, Vesper appeared in front of them and began to speak, "Now do you see. I told you I brought you here to see the end of the war between you and dragons. But, it won't end with either side dead, oh no. The war ends with the rise of the Dragon Riders. Only when that happens will your war end."

Stoick glared at her, but she continued, "Your son is the first and the strongest. He will lead you to victory on the back of a Night Fury." Her speech done, she vanished. Up in their booth, both sisters smiled.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Now things start to get good….

Thanks to all who reviewed and liked my story. I write for you guys. If you're new, leave a comment. I'm always looking for feedback. Let's see if I can get over 20 reviews before I post next week!

Ta, lovelies!


	10. The Trial, The Change

Yeah, it's short, but it's Toothless! School has been interesting for a first week back, but I missed people on here. And all the writing time.

Regardless, ENJOY!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. HIDDEN COVE - DAWN**

 **Hiccup arrives, winded, straining under the weight of a full basket. Toothless perks up.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey Toothless.**

Snotlout burst out laughing, gaining the attention of the whole theatre. It got to the point where he started to cry and roll on the floor, it was so bad. Two minutes passed before Vesper pulled a lever, dropping a bucket of ice cold water onto him.

"Ahh! What was that for?" Snotlout yelled, now soaked to the bone.

"Better question: Why the laughing?" Vesper replied.

Snotlout stared before replying, "Why would Useless name the most feared dragon 'Toothless'?" His eyes went to Hiccup who shrugged and said, "It stuck with me."

 **I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry.**

 **Hiccup drops the basket and kicks it over. Fish spill out.**

Everyone stared at the size of the pile of fish. That explained why there had been a fish shortage….

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay, that's disgusting.**

The dragons huffed. That was delicious! Not gross! Humans had no taste!

 **Toothless approaches, settling in to devour the feast.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Uh..we've got some salmon...**

 **Toothless approaches the basket.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... some nice Icelandic cod...**

 **Sniffs…..**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... and a whole smoked eel.**

Dragons shrank from the screen. Eels were deadly! Why would the little one bring one?!

 **Toothless growls at this, finding the fish. Hiccup holds it up as Toothless growls louder. He tosses it away.**

"Dragons don't like eels? Fascinating." Fishlegs muttered. Others had this thought as well. Stoick even wondered how they could use that.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No, no, no! It's okay. Yeah, I don't like eel much either.**

 **Toothless focuses on the remainder. With the dragon distracted, Hiccup unwraps his prosthetic fin and moves to the back.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay. That's it. That's it, just stick with good stuff. And don't you mind me. I'll just be back...here. Minding my own business.**

Astrid shoke her head at this, only to see Toothless's face. His expression said _God how did I fall for that?_

 **Hiccup cautiously approaches the injured tail, but every time he gets near it, Toothless sweeps it away like a cat.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **It's okay.**

 **Hiccup holds the tail in place, only for Toothless to move forward. He gives up and sits on the tail, attaching the fin. Toothless' head juts up.**

Gobber leaned in, curious of what would happen next.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay...okay..**

 **Toothless wiggles his tail and his face falls. The dragon tenses, slowly spreading his wings. Hiccup straps the prosthetic fin in place. He cinches the straps and unfolds it slightly.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PLEASED)**

 **There. Not too bad. It works.**

Everyone held their breath, wondering what would happen next. Because it wouldn't end well.

 **Toothless BOLTS! He snaps his massive wings and takes to the air, carrying Hiccup with him.**

"AHHHH!" Everyone screamed. Was Hiccup going to die?! Vesper (after finding her DJ-style headphones) got on the intercom. "Everyone relax. All this happened already so Hiccup's fine." They relaxed, slightly.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Woah! No! No! No!**

 **Hiccup struggles to hold on to the tail. As the ground speeds away, Toothless immediately TIPS into an uncontrolled bank and dive.**

Gobber stared. _Why isn't it working?_ He thought.

 **Hiccup sees the folded fin rattling uselessly in opposition to its flared counterpart. Flap as he may, Toothless can't correct his trajectory.**

 _Ah, that explains it. But, how would he…_

 **Hiccup swallows his fear, reaches the tail and YANKS it open. The flared, fan- like appendage catches the air, stabilizing the twisting tail.**

Gobber smiled. _Of course, it needs a way to stay open._

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(excited, terrified)**

 **It's working!**

 **Toothless climbs... high into the air, out of the forest. Hiccup turns the tail and Toothless turns as well. They return to the cove.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yes! Yes, I did it.**

 **He glances back at Hiccup, busily holding the tail open while trying to hold on. He flicks his tail… Whoomp! Hiccup is suddenly thrown from the tail in the intense force of a turn.**

Hiccup sighed. That first flight had not been fun.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!**

 **He bounces across the water's surface and takes a dive.**

 **Without Hiccup to operate the tail, Toothless does the same, plunging in a massive cannonball.**

 **Hiccup resurfaces, roughed up, but beaming. Toothless appears seconds later.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah!**

Gobber – having seen that – looked up to the ceiling and yelled, "Miss Vesper? Can you undo my hand? I wanna sit with Hiccup."

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

The plot thickens….

If you liked this, leave a comment. I'm hoping to have over 30 before the next chapter.

Until then, Ta lovelies!


	11. The Twins, The Triumph

Geez, this is late. I'm so sorry for that. Fanfiction was being a bit buggy and I had a busy weekend so I didn't want to write. Oh well, what's done is done and THIS is done!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

All eyes turned to Gobber. Even Hiccup was staring, albeit in joy more than horror. In their booth, Shilo retrieved a large ring of keys and poofed out, ending up by Gobber.

Just as she was about to unlock his chains, Stoick spoke up, "Gobber… why? Why you?" His voice was hard and strained, but his eyes showed his sadness. Shilo moved in to unlock his chains.

Once he was free, Gobber turned to Stoick, took a deep breath and began, "Stoick, I have stood by you through everything and you have been a good friend and a good chief. But you have not been a good father." Stoick sputtered, but Gobber continued, "You cared more about dragons after Val was taken and not about your 6 MONTH OLD SON. When he kept inventing things, you apprenticed him to me to keep him out of trouble. You don't spend time with him, yet you expect him to be like everyone else. You call him a traitor when all I see is a young man who discovered the end of a century's long war."

Stoick was shamed into silence as Gobber ascended the stairs. He reached the top by Hiccup, Astrid and the children and took a seat right in front of Toothless, who promptly sniffed him in greating. The movie then resumed as little Gronkles swarmed around the fat blond.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - MORNING**

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **Today is about teamwork.**

 **ON A DOUBLE-WIDE DOOR, BLASTING OPEN. A cloud of smoke engulfs the ring, swirling around the paired-up teens. Astrid with Ruffnut. Snotlout with Tuffnut. Fishlegs with Hiccup. All carry buckets of water, poised to throw them.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which.**

"How are we supposed to know that?" Tuffnut said. "They both look the same." Everyone stared at Tuffnut. Had he just said something that made sense?! Oh Odin, it must be Ragnarok!

 **The smoke encircles them, cutting them off from each other.**

 **The teens LISTEN and WATCH for any sign of the dragon.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(muttering to himself)**

 **Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, crushing its victims in its...**

 **HICCUP**

 **(TENSE)**

 **Will you please stop that?**

"I'm agreeing with Hiccup on that." Snotlout said, which earned him many stares. Had he just agreed with Hiccup?!

 **ON ASTRID AND RUFFNUT, LOOKING DETERMINED.**

 **ON SNOTLOUT AND TUFFNUT**

 **Moving nervously through the fog, back to back. Snotlout is singing to himself to calm his nerves.***

Everyone burst out laughing at his nervous singing, even Shilo and Vesper in their booth.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **If that dragon shows either of his faces, I'm gonna-**

 **(spotting an approaching shape, terrified)**

 **-There!**

 **Snotlout and Tuffnut HURL their water into the fog.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hey!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **It's us, idiots.**

 **Astrid and Ruffnut are soaked.**

Shilo turned on the intercom to say, "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is How NOT to Get a Girlfriend." Vesper burst out laughing so hard, her sides started to cramp as did everyone else, though not AS hard.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **(TO ASTRID)**

 **Not that there's anything wrong with a dragon-esque figure.**

Astrid couldn't resist, "Did you just call me fat!?" Hiccup and Gobber started laughing yet again as Snotlout turned a furious shade of red. To cool him off, Shilo dumped a bucket of water over his head.

Snotlout then yelled, "WHY DO YOU ALL HATE MEEEEEEE!?"

 **Astrid PUNCHES Snotlout in the face. Ruffnut THROWS HER BUCKET at Tuffnut, causing him to fall. He is then PULLED into the fog. Ruffnut tries to go in but…**

 **ASTRID**

 **Wait.**

 **They FREEZE. A tail SWEEPS out of the fog, taking them down.**

 **Astrid's bucket spills. Tuffnut emerges, crying,**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Oh, I'm hurt. I am very much hurt.**

 **ON FISHLEGS AND HICCUP coming across them.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now...**

 _That's comforting,_ Hiccup thought. Really, was that all he could say?

 **HICCUP**

 **Look out!**

 **A Zippleback head emerges out of the smoke. Fishlegs hurls his water at it, completely dousing the head. It leers and opens its mouth, spewing gas into the area.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh. Wrong head.**

 **GAS FLOWS around their legs. Fishlegs flees in a panic.**

Gobber face-palmed. The point was to stick together and work as a team, not abandon your teammate!

 **GOBBER**

 **Fishlegs!**

 **Beat. The other head sweeps out of the smoke, sparks flashing in its mouth.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Now, Hiccup!**

 **Hiccup hurls his water with all his might. It arcs and drops short of the dragon's sparking mouth. The dragon grins.**

 _Oh no_ was the thought on most people's minds. But, the thought on the minds of Gobber and the teens was _So what did he do that day?_

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh, come on!**

 **The dragon approaches, knocking Hiccup onto his back.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup!**

 **He rushes forward only to see…**

 **The Zippleback backing away from Hiccup. He stands and holds his hands out, as if controlling it.**

Every adult was shocked. Was everyone acting different today?

 **HICCUP**

 **BACK! BACK! BACK! Now don't you make me tell you again!**

 **The Zippleback retreats through its door and into its cave, hissing.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yes, that's right. Back into your cage.**

 **Hiccup slyly OPENS his vest, revealing the smoked EEL from earlier.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Now think about what you've done.**

 **He TOSSES it inside the door, then SLAMS it shut.**

Everyone had a moment of Ohhh after seeing that. Giggling, Vesper turned the intercom back on and said, "All hail Hiccup, the smartest person on Berk!" A plastic crown dropped into his lap. He stared at it before placing it on his head.

Astrid smiled; they matched.

 **Hiccup turns to the teens and Gobber. They stare, slack-jawed. Fishlegs drops his empty bucket**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay! So are we done? Because I've got some things I need to...**

 **Hiccup jogs out of the ring.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yep...see you tomorrow.**

 **The group is BAFFLED.**

Gothi stared behind her at the chief's son, wondering if maybe the girls had been right about the end of the war…

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 ***** This was too perfect to leave out.

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this since it was a long time coming! I really hope Gobber's speech came out fine as well...

Leave a review if you liked it! I'm hoping to have 45 before I post the next chapter.

Ta, lovelies!


	12. The Development, The Misunderstanding

Wow, right on time! Yay! Sadly, updates will stick to once a week after this; I made it into my school's play! So, I'll have play practice and not much time to write. Oh, well.

Enjoy!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

 **BEGIN MUSIC MONTAGE**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - HICCUP'S CLOSET - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup cuts and stitches leather, working by candlelight. An overhead shot reveals what he's building: a saddle.**

"Don't tell me you continued to HELP that creature?!" Stoick yelled back, his face as red as his beard.

Hiccup sighed. That didn't deserve an answer in his book.

 **EXT. COVE - DAY**

 **Hiccup appears before Toothless, holding the saddle. Toothless runs off as Hiccup chases him down.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey!**

One very brave little boy – stick skinny – turned to Toothless, touched his snout and said, "Tag, you're it." He then got up and tried to run down the stairs, Toothless chasing him. The boy's parents tried to jump out of their seats to grab him but it was too late; Toothless had seized the boy's shirt and was carrying him back to his seat. All the parents stared, confused at this.

 **EXT. COVE - DAY**

 **Toothless and Hiccup are zooming over the cove, Hiccup holding a rope. He tugs the rope to pull the tailfin, only to go forward off Toothless.**

 **INT. BLAKCSMITH STALL - LATER**

 **Hiccup adds a harness and uses a metal hook and ring to affix himself to Toothless' saddle.**

Fishlegs and Gobber stared, interested in the changing saddle system.

 **EXT. SKY/FIELD - DAWN**

 **Hiccup and Toothless zip through the air - his rudimentary harness and tail controls – now controlled by his foot - are working, barely. They crash- land in a field.**

 **Hiccup recovers to find Toothless rolling around in the tall grass. Toothless writhes on his back, tongue wagging, in complete bliss. Hiccup holds up a tuff.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - MORNING**

 **The Gronkle is out again, now coming after Hiccup. He holds out the tuff… It immediately stops in front of him, wide-eyed, and goes weak in the knees. Hiccup scratches the Gronkle and it goes down, whimpering and blissful.**

Stoick sputtered while everyone else stared. Why hadn't they discovered that before?! How hidden was that grass? Hiccup was just smirking and doing a happy dance in his head.

 **EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON**

 **The recruits walk home together, surrounding Hiccup and**

 **BOMBARDING HIM WITH QUESTIONS ALL AT ONCE.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Hey Hiccup, I've never seen a Gronkle to that before.**

 **He squirms and invents an excuse.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I left my axe back in the ring.**

Astrid turned to Hiccup and said, in shock, "You never even brought an axe that day!"

Hiccup turned to her and leaned in very close. Her breath caught as she saw the twinkle in his eyes and he whispered, "I had to come up with something. You all just believed it."

Astrid didn't know if she should feel insulted.

 **He turns and hurries back, bumping into Astrid.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you.**

 **Astrid watches, suspicious.**

Stoick sighed in relief. At least **someone** thought that Hiccup was acting weird.

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Hiccup scratches Toothless on his neck while wearing a new riding vest. He rubs Toothless under his neck, causing him to relax and fall over.**

Gobber was staring, intrigued. Stoick had only been gone a couple of weeks and here was Hiccup discovering secrets that Vikings never even knew! _Stoick, you fool. Your son is more incredible than you even thought._

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - LATER**

 **The Nadder is out again. Astrid throws her axe, only for it to be knocked away. It then approaches Hiccup, who steps into the blind spot. Just as Astrid moves in to strike, Hiccup performs his special rubbing technique, which sends the Nadder down. Astrid looks at Hiccup with confusion.**

Hiccup burst out laughing. Her face was hilarious! Astrid buried her face in her hands and tried to glare at Hiccup. It wasn't working.

 **INT. MEADE HALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup sits down at a table to eat. The other recruits notice him and move over to his table to talk to him – leaving Astrid alone.**

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Toothless claws and chases a light patch like a cat chasing a laser pointer. We then see Hiccup using a hammer head to create said light.**

Up in their booth, Vesper tapped her sister on the shoulder. When Shilo turned her head, she saw a laser light. Vesper then walked over to the light window, turned it on and shined it on Stoick's head.

Toothless, seeing the light, took off. He leapt toward Stoick, only to watch the little red light move away. For ten whole minutes, he chased it around the room, over different people's heads, putting Hiccup, Astrid and Gobber in stitches. Finally, it went away and he returned to the top.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **A beam lifts from the door of another dragon pen.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Meet the Terrible Terror.**

 **A tiny, pint-sized dragon steps out.**

The Terrors trilled in excitement at seeing themselves.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Ha. It's like the size of my-**

 **Tuffnut is taken down in a blur.**

 **TUFFNUT (CONT'D)**

 **Get it off! Get it off! Oh! I'm hurt, I am very much hurt!**

Tuffnut buried his head, thinking, _Why me? This is embarrassing._

 **Hiccup stops the Terrible Terror with the same light-patch trick he used earlier with Toothless. The tiny dragon retreats back to its cage. The teens approach him yet again as Astrid looks on with suspicion.**

 **TUFFNUT (CONT'D)**

 **(TO ASTRID)**

 **Wow, he's better than you ever were.**

Ruffnut glared at her brother, asking, "Why did you think that was a good idea?" He had no reply as he was still feeling humiliated.

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. FOREST - MOMENTS LATER**

 **Astrid furiously hurls her axe at nearby trees. She notices Hiccup walking by in the distance, carrying one of his trademark harnesses. She quickly tries to follow, but he loses her in the woods. She HUFFS, frustrated.**

"I was behind the rock." Hiccup said.

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Hiccup straps a newly designed harness onto Toothless as he eats. Hiccup rides him in the air - while tied to a tree stump. Toothless looks like a giant kite.**

Some people laughed but others just looked curiously at the setup.

Fishlegs turned around and asked "Why…?"

"I needed to figure out tail positions and what they did. I felt it would be easier to do while stationary." Hiccup replied.

The village took that in and was shocked. Had Hiccup always been that smart?

 **This harness seems to work. He clicks the pedal to adjust the tail, takes note of the position and write it down. Toothless jumps back up…**

 **EXT. SKY - MOMENTS LATER**

 **The rope breaks and the pair CRASH into a tree. Hiccup's face is red. Toothless stands up, only to pull Hiccup with him. He realizes the ring is stuck.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh, great.**

Gobber wondered why Hiccup was mad. Couldn't he just pry it… _Oh no._

 **EXT. BERK - NIGHT**

 **The streets are empty save for a lone Viking who crosses Hiccup's path.**

 **VIKING**

 **Hiccup.**

 **Hiccup nods, trying to look casual. Once the coast is clear, he covertly steers Toothless into the Blacksmith's stall.**

Stoick was currently the same shade of red as his beard in anger. He turned toward the rest of the village and said, "Why did no one SEE A DRAGON IN THE VILLAGE!?" No one said anything; they were too ashamed and feeling like real idiots.

 **Toothless PRESSES himself inside, rooting through stuff and making a racket. Astrid, walking nearby, is alerted.**

 **ASTRID (O.S.)**

 **Hiccup?**

 **Hiccup frantically tries to pry the ring off the saddle hook. He FREEZES, hearing Astrid.**

Stoick was even MORE mad at seeing that only Astrid was aware of SOMETHING going on.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Are you in there?**

 **Too late - she's right outside.**

 **Hiccup JUMPS OUT the window – now wearing his apron - and CLOSES the shutters behind him. Hiccup's harness line is stretched through the window, still attached to Toothless' saddle.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Astrid. Hey! Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid.**

"Real obvious, Hiccup." Snotlout said. No one thought that was funny, so he just sat back down.

 **ASTRID**

 **I normally don't care what people do, but you're acting weird. Well, weirder.**

 **Toothless spots a nearby sheep and makes a move toward it.**

 _Oh no,_ all the dragons thought.

 **As a result, Hiccup is suddenly PULLED TIGHT against the window shutters. He STRIKES A POSE to compensate... then gets PULLED THROUGH the shutters. They snap back in Astrid's face. Astrid reopens them and finds nothing but an empty stall.**

 **In the distance, Toothless and Hiccup slip off unseen.**

Stoick was turning an even darker shade of red. It got so bad that Vesper had to dump a bucket of ice cold water over his head. It's worked…sorta.

 **EXT. DOCKS - DAWN**

 **A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men. They disembark to a crowd of onlookers, looking like a team of hometown heroes who just had their butts kicked. Gobber hobbles through the MUMBLING crowd to find Stoick,**

 **glowering with battered pride.**

 **Stoick lumbers past Gobber.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, I trust you found the nest at least?**

 **STOICK**

 **Not even close.**

Hiccup, Astrid and all the dragons breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't want the Vikings finding the Nest…

 **GOBBER**

 **Excellent.**

 **Gobber follows Stoick up the ramp and snags his duffle bag with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.**

 **STOICK**

 **I hope you had a little more success than me.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes.**

 **Stoick stops. What does that mean?**

Hiccup leaned forward. _Where did he think that was going?_

 **A group of merry villagers rush past.**

 **VIKING #1**

 **Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved.**

 **VIKING #2**

 **Out with the old and in with the new, right?!**

 **VIKING #3**

 **No one will miss that old nuisance!**

 **VIKING #4**

 **The village is throwing a party to celebrate!**

 **Stoick is stunned, overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turns to Gobber.**

 **STOICK**

 **He's... gone?**

Astrid turned to see Hiccup glaring daggers at his father for that comment. His rage continued to grow to the point where he stood up and began to speak in a tight, restrained voice, "So you hear all that and your first thought is I'm DEAD?!" Everyone shrank in their seats at the pure rage in his voice and tried to hide from his eyes.

 **GOBBER**

 **Yeah...most afternoons. But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans.**

 **Stoick is doubly confused.**

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup?**

 **GOBBER**

 **(BEAMING)**

 **Who would've thought, eh? He has this...way with the beasts.**

 **Stoick is IMPRESSED.**

Hiccup just scowled. At this point, it didn't matter what his father thought of him; he'd never be truly impressed with him.

Then, he remembered what he and Toothless had been doing the day his father got home. A smirk grew on his face.

 _Let's see what this little Hiccup can do…_

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Wow, that was long. But good! I hope Hiccup isn't too OOC…

If you guys liked this, leave a review! Let's see if we can get 15 reviews before I post the next chapter.

Til then, Ta lovelies!


	13. Becoming a Dragon

….I'm so sorry. I really wanted to get this out soon, but general laziness, the play and a bad grade in math meant I had to focus on my schoolwork and the play more than this story. Plus I needed to revise this after Hiccup come out too cynical.

But, I'm here with a new chapter and I thank everyone who stayed with me on this. You guys make me happy with your reviews.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Before starting the next scene, Vesper hunted down the headphones she had used earlier while Shilo looked for a pillow to bury her head into. When they found them – lying in a corner next to Loki and John Cena – they began the next scene.

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. SKY - AFTERNOON**

 **Toothless and Hiccup soar through a perfect blue sky. Billowing clouds rise like mountains. The ground seems miles below them.**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The voice of every Viking rose to window-breaking pitched at seeing the traitor not only on the back of a dragon he'd SAVED, but flying it Odin-only-knows! how high off the ground!

The teens all had different thoughts:

Snotlout – _My cousin's crazy. He's lost it and now, he'll see why saving that beast was a bad idea._

Ruffnut and Tuffnut – _This looks dangerous, even for us!_

Fishlegs – _Oh gods, from the looks of it, he must be miles off the ground. One wrong move…_

Astrid – _**He's gonna die, hes gonna die, he's gonna die.**_ _Relax, he's right next to you. He lived._

Vesper and Shilo – _Thank God we found that stuff._

The screaming calmed down and the movie restarted.

 **HICCUP**

 **Okay there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow.**

 **Hiccup checks a leather cheat sheet, clipped onto his harness. Inscribed upon it are several tail positions and their pedal position equivalents.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Here we go. Here we go...position three, no four.**

"Does it really matter what's on that sheet, Useless? It can't help much." Snotlout said, puffing out his chest to seem bigger.

Hiccup just shook his head and replied, "If it means the difference between living and dying, then yes." Snotlout had no comeback.

 **He presses the pedal, causing the tail to flare. They roll off into an arcing bank, gloriously lit by the late afternoon sun. Hiccup tucks tight against his neck, thrilled that his new harness and vest are holding. The foot controls make the tail appendage quick and responsive. He watches Toothless' every fluctuation, trying to match it with the prosthetic. Hiccup sizes up a target - a towering arch of stone, rising from the sea.**

Everyone in the room was awestruck at the sight of Berk, Gobber especially. They believed the island held no secrets they hadn't found. Now, though, the hiccup of the Haddocks was discovering something no one had seen before. Hiccup was pleasantly surprised by this. Didn't someone check out the island before?

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Alright, it's go time. It's go time.**

 **They dive toward it, lining up to pass through the arch. Toothless's wings catch the water.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Come on buddy. Come on buddy!**

Everyone held their breath, praying that something bad wouldn't happen. Even Stoick was begging any god who would listen to protect his son. Listen, _Please, any gods in Asgard, don't let my son die. I can't let the last connection to Valka die._

 **They zip through the arch. A perfect maneuver.**

The whole room let out a sigh. Hiccup was safe…Then everyone remembered he was 1000 feet in the air on a dragon on a test flight. Wow that was a mouthful.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah! Yes, it worked!**

 **The triumph is short-lived. They smack into one of several sea stacks as Hiccup tries to keep up with the turns.**

Hiccup grimaced while Toothless huffed. That hurt!

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Sorry.**

 **They hurtle into another rock pillar. Toothless grumbles.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **It was my fault.**

Shaky laughter rang out; everyone was too worried about Hiccup getting seriously hurt to laugh

 **Toothless swats him with his 'ear' plate.**

 **That** got a few laughs, especially from Hiccup, Astrid, Gobber and the kids.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah, yeah, I'm on it.**

 **(referring to the cheat** **SHEET)**

 **Position four, no three.**

 **They pierce the clouds. For the first time, Hiccup can see the whole of the island below them. It shrinks with every passing second. Toothless looks euphoric at touching the clouds again. He tightens his grip on the handles.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah! Go baby! Yes!**

The screaming resumed; the sisters dove for their ear covers. Hiccup just stared at the level of concern they were showing him. He had to know, so he stood up and asked, "Why are you all so worried about me? I'm right here so I clearly survived."

The village was stunned into silence because truthfully…they didn't know. _**Why were**_ they caring about the village runt and now traitor?

 **Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my...**

 **He spots the leather guide tearing free in the turbulence.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PANICKED)**

 **... CHEAT SHEET! STOP!**

 _Uh oh._ Every dragon – along with the ladies in the booth - thought.

 **Hiccup grabs frantically for the airborne sheet...**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No!**

Every Viking tensed.

 **... and NABS IT before it's carried out of reach.**

They now subtly relaxed. Even Stoick was relieved, _Ok, now he can get himself out of there._ Then he realized that he was ok with his son riding a dragon to safety.

 **Toothless, however, obeys the command and suddenly STOPS beating his wings. As they slow to a stop, Hiccup goes weightless. The rings of his vest float off of the harness hooks. Hiccup suddenly finds himself detached, free-falling.**

Before that scene ended, Vesper found the intercom, turned it on and yelled, "NO. MORE. SCREAMING. If you do, I'm sticking Loki on your asses." They calmed down; very afraid of that.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Oh, gosh! Oh gods! Oh no!**

 **Without Hiccup, the tail loses control. Hiccup and Toothless spiral downward. Toothless FIGHTS to get back under Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(trying to calm Toothless)**

 **Alright, okay. You just gotta kinda angle yourself. No, no...come back down towards me. Come back down—**

"Is he even listening?" Fishlegs asked, curious if Toothless could understand Hiccup.

Hiccup just shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I think so."

 **Hiccup extends his arms and legs, giving himself as much surface area as he can. He angles back towards Toothless as the tumbling dragon WHACKS Hiccup with his wing.**

Snotlout couldn't help himself and he burst out laughing… only to find himself meeting a very heavy sand bag. When the bag made contact, Snotlout's face contorted in on itself. Up in their booth, Shilo was doubled over with laughter.

 **After a few seconds, Hiccup finally GRABS HOLD of the harness and manages to lock in - just in time to pull Toothless out of his dive... barely shy of the tree tops.**

Shilo's laughter increased even more as she watched the village go from relief to horror at Hiccup's current situation; even more since she knew what was gonna happen next.

 **They careen past the wooded cliff and directly into a treacherous slalom course of jutting sea stacks. Hiccup pulls the cheat sheet from his teeth and attempts to check positions. It flaps violently in the turbulence, making it impossible.**

Hiccup was watching all of this with a shit-eating grin on his face. Watching the village panic was funny.

 **With no time to think, Hiccup throws it away and steers Toothless' tail on instinct...**

Everyone inhaled, terrified. Well, except Hiccup and Toothless, who were excited to relive their most exciting moment of their flight.

 **with perfect intuition. Together, they manage a tight, hair-raising series of split- second turns, making it to the open water, unscathed. Hiccup takes a breath and glances back at the death-defying obstacle course, now safely behind them.**

Silence rang out as everyone's jaws dropped: the village because HICCUP had just – for lack of a better word – tamed and ridden a DRAGON, and the dragons because of the same reason.

Gobber, amazed, turned to Hiccup and asked, "What was it like?"

Hiccup sat back in his chair, thinking about that intense moment. After a few seconds, he had an answer, "I was both panicked and thrilled. I just did what I could and stopped focusing on anything else. All I knew was the wind, the tail and the blood pumping through me. I…really can't describe it; it was that amazing."

 **He beams, relieved. He sits back and throws his arms up in victory.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **YEEAHHH!**

Astrid cracked a smile at Hiccup's glee. It was endearing.

 **Toothless concurs with a happy SQUEAL and a fireball.**

 **Hiccup's glee turn to dread as they fly directly into it.**

 **ON HICCUP'S FACE**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Ah, come on.**

Surprisingly, no one laughed; they were still shocked at the scene and Hiccup's comment.

 **EXT. BEACH - SUNSET**

 **Hiccup looks fairly singed**

Astrid had to laugh at Hiccup's new look. Hiccup soon joined her.

 **as he hears Toothless suddenly regurgitate a fish head. Hiccup smirks with forced politeness. They are lounging on a sprawling, deserted beach, snacking of freshly caught fish.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh..no thanks.**

 **(gesturing to his fish on**

 **A STICK)**

 **I'm good.**

The dragons stared at the boy; how could he do that to a perfectly good fish!? Wet fish were great!

 **Several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and nipping at each other as they approach Toothless' pile of fish. One grabs the regurgitated fish head and drags it away.**

 **Another attempts to steal it from him. They face off and last fire balls at each other to settle the fight. Hiccup and Toothless watch, amused.**

The dragons in the back laughed. Terrors could be so petty when it came to food.

 **That is until...Toothless spots one of his fish leaving the pile. A stealthy Terrible Terror is exposed as the thief. They tug on the fish, and it snaps back into Toothless' mouth. He swallows it back tauntingly.**

Every dragon turned to Toothless with a look that said What the Hel was that for?

 **Irate, the little dragon paws at the ground and blast Toothless. He opens his mouth, the gas hiss comes, and Toothless fires a tiny flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little dragon. It coughs up smoke and staggers away, looking ill.**

 **Hiccup laughs.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?**

Everyone awed. That was both funny and adorable. Even the boys thought so.

 **Hiccup throws the hapless Terror another fish.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Here you go.**

 **The appreciative little dragon gulps down the meal and approaches Hiccup cautiously. He curls up next to him. Hiccup is amazed. He carefully pets him... sending the Terror into an immediate, blissful sleep.**

"Aww!" cried the little girls as they stared at their Terrors. That was sooooo CUTE!

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PENSIVE)**

 **Everything we know about you guys is wrong.**

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

Better late than never! I hope you guys like this and drop a review. I'd like to have close to 80 before the next chapter goes up. As for when that would be… either later this month or early November. Luckily, the play opens in late November so soon, I'll have a lot of more time on my hands.

"Til then, bye lovs!


	14. PLEASE READ! IMMPORTANT!

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry updates haven't been coming for some time now. Quite simply, everything was working against me. November was when the show premiered and I was determined to keep up my grades to be in it. Afterward, I just wanted to relax and then my procrastination acted up... Yeah.

But, it just warms my heart to see that people have been faving my story and following me in my little hiatus. You guys just make everything better.

Now, regarding a new update, I'm gonna say this: I want to get out a small chapter out before Christmas Day to get back in the swing of things. If that doesn't happen, I'll write a much longer chapter instead. Sound good?

Again, thank you all for continuing to follow and like my story. Hope to update soon.

Vesper.


	15. The Lie, The Chosen

Tis the season to be jolly, falalalala. Have a new chapter for Christmas! Just warning you all, this may not be my best since I didn't double check the script with the movie so it's not my best. As always, I'm so glad to see all your faces and reviews so, Enjoy!

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

The whole audience fell silent; what Hiccup said sunk in. All this time, they believed dragons were monsters; the only thing they deserved was death. Now not only did they see dragons were not vicious by nature, but that they could be trained.

After a few minutes of silence, Stoick stood up and said, "Let us go, you two. We've seen what we need to see."

Vesper and Shilo shared a glance before Shilo replied, "Sorry, we can't let you go yet."

Murmurs filled the crowd in confusion. Vesper was quick to reply, "Just because you know dragons can be trained doesn't mean the raids will stop. There's a piece to the puzzle you're missing."

Hiccup and Astrid both went white. They knew what she was talking about. Hiccup stood up and said, "She's right." At this, everyone returned to their seats.

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - HICCUP'S CLOSET - NIGHT**

 **HICCUP is lost in thought, his head laid of a desk full of Toothless drawings. Burdened with the weight of the world.**

 **Suddenly, STOICK appears in the doorway. Hiccup jumps and quickly covers up his desk.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Dad! You're back!**

 **He skirts the bench, blocking Stoick's view of Toothless, the prosthetic fin, and other drawings.**

Stoick stared at the desk and wondered _How the Hel did I miss all that?!_

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Gobber's not here, so...**

 **He strikes an awkwardly casual pose, trying to cover up as much as possible.**

"You are horrible at acting casual, aren't you?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup just shrugged, "I am good at many things. Clearly that is not one of them." Astrid broke out in giggles at that.

 **STOICK**

 **I know. I came looking for you.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(CAUGHT)**

 **You did?**

 **STOICK**

 **(STERN)**

 **You've been keeping secrets.**

The whole village gasped. Stoick knew about Toothless?

 **Hiccup's legs give out. He slides, dragging the table's contents with him.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I...have?**

 **STOICK**

 **Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?**

 **HICCUP**

 **(IN VAIN)**

 **I don't know what you're...**

 **STOICK**

 **Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it.**

 _Oh gods, oh gods he found out. He's gonna be so mad._ Was the thought of every villager.

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh?**

 **STOICK**

 **So.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **Let's talk about that dragon.**

Moe gasps. Suddenly, Stoick realized when this conversation happened.

 **Blood drains from Hiccup's face.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh gods. Dad I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to-**

 **Stoick starts laughing. Big, booming. Hiccup stares, baffled.**

Tuffnut stared at the chief confused, "You're actually happy about the dragon your son has been training?"

Stoick shock his head and replied, "Just watch."

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **You're not...upset?**

 **STOICK**

 **What?! I was hoping for this!**

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh...you were?**

 **STOICK**

 **And believe me, it only gets better! Just wait til you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time.**

Realization smacked everyone in the face like a Gronckle's magma shots. Then they all felt sick at the image.

 **Hiccup's elated expression sinks.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear. What a feeling!**

Shrieks rang out in the kids who ran to hug as many Gronckles as they could find. All the while yelling, "We'll keep you safe!"

 **Stoick laughs and smacks Hiccup on the shoulder, sending him into the wall.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You really had me going there, son. All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you!**

 **Hiccup gets back up, grimacing in the irony of it all.**

 **Everyone** was uncomfortable. What should have been praise and utter joy was now just a cold realization that Hiccup had changed, but not how Stoick wanted.

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **And all the while, you were holding out on me! Thor almighty!**

 **Stoick grabs a stool and sits. His massive frame nearly fills the tiny room.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **(RELIEVED)**

 **Ahhhhh. With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about.**

Astrid felt horrible for Hiccup. _To have your village finally be proud of you for all the wrong reasons…gods, I can't imagine how that feels,_ she thought.

 **Pregnant pause. Hiccup averts his eyes nervously. Stoick adjusts, awkwardly clearing his throat. After a long, uncomfortable silence...**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Oh, I... brought you something.**

 **He presents a horned helmet.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **To keep you safe in the ring.**

"Aw!" The mood lifted slightly as everyone stared at the new helmet.

 **HICCUP**

 **(SINCERE)**

 **Wow. Thanks.**

 **Hiccup accepts it, looking it over.**

 **STOICK**

 **Your mother would've wanted you to have it.**

 **(HEARTFELT)**

 **It's half of her breast plate.**

Tuffnut and Snotlout brust out laughing. They laughed so hard Stoick turned around to yell at them when Shilo said, "Stoick, you do realize those helmet are two different sizes right? And made from a **breast** plate?"

Stoick sat back down. He understood.

 **Stoick taps his own helmet and smiles.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know?  
**

Hiccup sighed. _It was still nice. Especially since I don't have much left of Mom._

 **Hiccup eyes the mismatched helmets, grimacing.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal.**

 **Stoick beams with pride. Hiccup squirms. He forces a YAWN.**

Astrid felt sorry for him. _A parent should be proud of you for who you are not what they want._

 **HICCUP**

 **I should really get to bed.**

 **STOICK HICCUP**

 **(talking over each** **(talking over each**

 **OTHER** **) OTHER)**

 **Yes!** **Good!** **Okay.** **Good talk** **. See you back at the house.**

 **We should do this again.** **I'm Great. Thanks for stopping**

 **glad I stopped by, I hope you** **by. And for the... the uh,**

 **like the hat.** **breast hat.**

 **STOICK**

 **Well..uh..good night.**

 **Stoick leaves the room awkwardly, leaving Hiccup looking more burdened than ever.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - AFTERNOON**

 **A Gronckle hovers above the ring, hunting victims.**

 **Astrid ducks behind a barrier to find Hiccup already there.**

 **She forces her axe at his throat.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing.**

She turned to Hiccup, "Sorry about that."

"It's ok, I was fine." He replied.

 **HICCUP**

 **Please, by all means.**

 **She darts off, CLOSING FAST on the dragon. The crowd above cheers.**

 **VIKING IN CROWD**

 **You got it!**

 **Hiccup stands and looks around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, Stoick watches keenly, beaming with pride. He locks eyes with Hiccup, giving him a nod of encouragement. Hiccup adjusts his new helmet and forces a half-hearted smile.**

Gobber turned to look at Hiccup and asked, "What did you even do that day? I can't remember."

"Honestly Gobber…I can't either," Hiccup replied. Laughter rang out.

 **BACK TO ASTRID**

 **... as she catches her breath behind a barrier. She scowls, focused, determined.**

 **ASTRID**

 **This time. This time for sure.**

 **With a FIERCE BATTLE-CRY she LEAPS from cover, axe cocked to**

 **throw.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Aaaaaaaaaa...**

 **And as she clears the barriers, she sees that Hiccup has already laid the Gronckle out.**

"Astrid, your face reminds me of a deflating balloon." Shilo said very matter-of-fact.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **...aaaaaaauGGGGGHHHHHHHH! No! No!**

 **Hiccup shrugs, as unhappy with the situation as she is.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **NO! NO! SON OF HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!**

"Astrid!" her mother yelled. She just tried to hide. _Not my best moment._

 **A loud CLACK ring out. From the crowd above, Gothi, the village elder, steps forward, tapping her staff. Everyone lights up excitedly.**

 **STOICK**

 **Wait! Wait!**

 **HICCUP**

 **So, later.**

 **Gobber snags Hiccup as he attempts to leave.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Not so fast.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I'm kinda late for-**

 **ASTRID**

 **(LIVID)**

 **What? Late for what exactly?**

Suddenly, Astrid realized something, _If this is the Day of Selection, I remember following Hiccup just after this…oh gods no, everyone gonna see that flight. Gods, I'll be humiliated._ These thoughts bounced around in her head, causing her more and more worry.

 **Stoick holds out his hands to silence the jabbering crowd.**

 **STOICK**

 **Okay quiet down. The elder has decided.**

 **Thrilled, Gobber stands behind Hiccup and Astrid. He points to Astrid as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no.' The crowd 'Oooohs.' Gobber then points to Hiccup. The elder nods an affirmative 'yes.' The crowd erupts in cheers.**

 **Astrid turns a seething, deadly glare on Hiccup.**

Astrid's worry continued to grow until this popped into her head, _Would that be so bad? Them seeing you happy with the village runt on the back of a dragon. Besides, you've always had a soft spot for him. Enjoy this._

Astrid blushed at her thoughts before stealing a glance at Hiccup. Her thoughts then changed to _let them see._

 **GOBBER**

 **You've done it! You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!**

Gobber felt horrible now. The thought of Hiccup killing one of those creatures felt like killing a baby bunny.

 **STOICK**

 **Ha, ha! That's my boy!**

 **Hiccup is hoisted onto the recruits' shoulders and carried out to the cheering spectators...**

 **HICCUP**

 **(MASKING PANIC)**

 **Heh, heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so...**

"So, So what?" The teens asked.

 **-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-**

So this chapter was a bit bigger than I planned just because I want the Romantic Flight to have its own chapter down the line. As for when my next chapter will be up, I want to have it come out sometime after the New Year.

As you know, I love reviews so please drop me one. I'd love to have close to 90 before the next chapter comes out.

See you all next time!

Bye, lovs!


	16. PLEASE READ!

Please see my profile regarding new chapters

Vesper

6/30/16


End file.
